SCOTLAND

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what criteria his Department uses when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office follows the guidance in the HM Treasury publication ‘Government Internal Audit Standards’.

Risk Assessment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what risk registers are held by the non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office is responsible for the Boundary Commission for Scotland which has a risk register in place. In addition, regular discussions take place between my officials and Commission staff regarding the work of the Commission and other relevant matters.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: Other than minor or bespoke purchases, the Scotland Office does not undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises existing service contracts between suppliers and the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice.

Unemployment: Young People

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to meet the Scottish Government Minister for Youth Unemployment before January 2012.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), has written to Angela Constance MSP to congratulate her upon her appointment as the new Scottish Government Minister for Youth Employment. He intends to meet Ms Constance at the earliest opportunity available to discuss how the UK and Scottish Governments will continue to work together to support Scotland's young people into employment.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Computers

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2010, Official Report, column 290W, on computers, how many of the laptops and desktop computers returned to PICT in the 2010 refresh programme were sold to (a) hon. Members, (b) agencies, companies or other individuals and (c) as scrap; and how much revenue was raised in each of these categories.

John Thurso: Disposal of obsolete ICT equipment arising from the 2010 refresh programme for hon. Members was undertaken by two third-party suppliers, one covering constituency offices and another covering the estate. In both cases, after destruction of data to specified and certified standards, the choice between resale or destruction was a commercial one taken by the suppliers.
	No equipment was sold to hon. Members. Nearly 2,760 laptops and desktops were sold to third parties or destroyed by the suppliers during the relevant period. Revenue amounting to £70,122 was received as a result. This figure includes revenue from the disposal of some printers from the estate which cannot be separately identified. Comparable figures are not available separately for sales to third parties and destruction.

WALES

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what criteria her Department uses when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The Wales Office has an annual internal audit programme, which is agreed by the Audit Committee and internal audit. The areas tested each year change according to the Audit Committee's priorities for the year.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps her Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by her Department; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The Wales Office has no executive agencies, and all services used by the Department are under Ministry of Justice procured contracts.

Risk Assessment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what risk registers are held by the non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: The Wales Office is not responsible for any non-departmental public bodies.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: The Northern Ireland Office uses approved public procurement policies to achieve the most advantageous combination of cost, quality and sustainability to meet the Department's requirements.
	My Department does not have executive agencies.

PRIME MINISTER

Cabinet

David Hamilton: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 1WS, on the Cabinet Manual, 
	(1)  whether he expects chapter two of the Cabinet Manual on Elections and Government Formation to have any legal status in the event of a future hung parliament;
	(2)  whether he plans to re-issue the Cabinet Manual (a) when relevant legislative changes are made, (b) when relevant changes to the machinery of Government are made, (c) when a significant EU treaty is signed and (d) on a regular calendar based timescale.

David Cameron: As stated in the preface of the Cabinet Manual, it is not intended to be legally binding or to set issues in stone. We expect it to evolve in form and content over time.

Departmental Internet

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Prime Minister if he will ensure that the 10 Downing street website is updated to include meetings he has had since March 2011.

David Cameron: An updated list has been published. It can be found on the Cabinet Office website:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations-april-june

Departmental Publications

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Prime Minister how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports his Office has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply.
	For the purposes of administration, 10 Downing street is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given him today on this matter.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Prime Minister how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date.

David Cameron: Out of 270 ordinary written questions tabled, 265 received a substantive response within 10 days. All remaining questions were answered within 20 days.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General what criteria (a) the Law Officers' Departments and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: The Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol) is responsible for handling internal audits for itself, the Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI).
	The TSol Internal Audit Service complies fully with Government Internal Audit Standards. Each year an annual internal audit plan, identifying individual internal audits and their proposed timing, is prepared and approved by the Audit Committee. This annual plan is designed to meet the assurance needs of the Accounting Officer, Board and Audit Committee. During the year the internal audit plan may be updated, with the approval of the Accounting Officer and Audit Committee, to reflect changes to TSol’s operations, risk profile or assurance needs.
	The Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the chair of the Audit Committee agree an annual plan of reviews with the SFO's internal auditors to provide independent assurance that the SFO's risk management and internal control processes are operating effectively. When deciding on the topics and timing of internal audits within that plan the SFO considers planned business initiatives for the coming year, financial reporting requirements and previous NAO/Internal Audit report findings.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the largest of the Law Officers' Departments. The CPS Head of Internal Audit (HIA) is responsible for determining which internal audits are undertaken based on CPS' management's assessment of the risks to the achievement of organisational objectives. The criteria used by the HIA when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit are:
	The significance of the activity/system to the achievement of organisational goals, and the maintenance of the CPS's reputation.
	The degree to which an activity mitigates risks identified on the Corporate Risk Register.
	The findings of recent audit or HMCPSI activity.
	Cumulative audit knowledge of the robustness of controls and compliance in place in a system.
	The level of change in a system—to people, process, technology, inputs, and its operating environment.
	The difficulty of the objective, the complexity of the system and the level of IT/automation.
	The novelty of the activity and risk assessment.
	The financial materiality of the system.
	The stated needs for assurance of the accounting officers.
	The known plans of the HMCPSI and National Audit Office in relation to the activity/system in question.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) the Law Officers' Departments and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: The Law Officers’ Departments are required to follow EU procurement rules and Government procurement guidance to ensure best value for money. Government procurement best practice encourages small and medium sized enterprises to tender for procurement opportunities and recognises the importance of environmental, social and economic concerns.
	In line with Government procurement policy the Law Officers' Departments normally use pre-tendered pan-government contracts wherever possible for the supply of services. Such contracts will have been awarded following an open competition process led by either the Government Procurement Service (formally the Office of Government Commerce-Buying Solutions) or another Government Department or public sector body.

Risk Assessment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General what risk registers are held by the public bodies for which the Law Officers' Departments are responsible; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: The Law Officers’ Departments do not have responsibility for any other public bodies.

Prosecutions: Tobacco

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been prosecuted for selling illegal tobacco products in each of the last five years.

Dominic Grieve: Excise offences include evasion of duty on alcohol and hydrocarbon oils as well as tobacco products. There is no specific offence of selling illegal tobacco products.
	The following table provides information relating to the number of completed prosecutions, by defendant, for “excise” offences where charges were laid under SI 70 of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979. It is not possible to break this data down further without retrieving files at disproportionate expense.
	
		
			 Financial years Excise cases 
			 2006-07 358 
			 2007-08 330 
		
	
	
		
			 2008-09 240 
			 2009-10 263 
			 2010-11 271 
			 2011-to date 320

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an estimate of the number of (a) hon. Members and (b) Members of the European Parliament who receive funding from the common agricultural policy.

James Paice: No such estimate has been made. It would not be possible to do so without incurring disproportionate cost as it would require considerable cross-checking between, for example, lists of hon. Members interests and the database of beneficiaries of common agricultural policy funds. Simply searching the database for hon. Members' (or MEPs') names would not identify any businesses in which they had an interest.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 221W, on animal welfare: circuses, for what reasons it was considered that to ensure full participation assurances should be given to participants that the data collected would be confidential; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The decision to agree to confidentiality for these specific papers rests with the previous Government. The participants have reiterated to this Government that confidentiality should be maintained and, having considered the circumstances, the Government's view is that confidentiality should be respected.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of legal advice submitted to her Department by Animal Defenders International on 7 June 2011 on the conformity of a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses with the (a) Human Rights Act 1998 and (b) European Services directive.

James Paice: The Government’s assessment of the legal advice submitted by Animal Defenders International are protected by legal professional privilege which is not ordinarily waived. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), does not propose to waive privilege on this occasion.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to publish proposals for a licensing scheme for wild animals in circuses.

James Paice: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cambridge (Dr Huppert), during the oral answers to questions on 13 October 2011, Official Report, columns 467-68.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which bodies are advising her Department on the proposals for a licensing scheme for wild animals in circuses.

James Paice: DEFRA has had, or will shortly have, discussions on our proposals for a licensing scheme for wild animals in circuses with the RSPCA, Animal Defenders International, Born Free, CAPS and PAWSI.

Animal Welfare: Performing Arts

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessments she has made of the adequacy of the welfare standards applicable to animals used in the performing arts industry.

James Paice: No such assessments have been made of animal welfare standards applicable to the performing arts as a whole. DEFRA is currently considering the adequacy of welfare standards in the context of performing wild animals in travelling circuses, and will consult on proposals for this in early 2012.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of bovine tuberculosis have been recorded in camelids in each of the last 12 months.

James Paice: The Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency provides DEFRA with data on the number of cases of camelids it has examined for TB each quarter and the number positive for M. bovis on culture. Cumulative figures are published in the statistics section of DEFRA's website.
	The numbers of cases reported in the last 12 months have been:
	
		
			  October-December 2010 January-March 2011 April-June 2011 July-September 2011 
			 Cases examined     
			 Alpacas 12 17 35 40 
			 Llamas 1 1 1 1 
			      
			 Numbers positive for M. bovis     
			 Alpacas 2 4 3 0 
			 Llamas 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	All data provided for 2011 are provisional and subject to change as more becomes available.
	The figures represent submissions of individual animals rather than premises (i.e. several submissions may be from the same premises) and are made up of a combination of voluntary submissions from a range of farms and also multiple submissions from a small number of TB-restricted herds undergoing repeat TB testing and compulsory slaughter of TB test reactor animals (i.e. which have given a test result consistent with being infected with bovine TB) and non-reactor (“direct contact”) animals.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) initial capital cost and (b) ongoing maintenance costs are of the SAM computer system for logging cases of bovine tuberculosis.

James Paice: The initial capital cost of the SAM system for bovine TB is £12.8 million and the annual running cost (hosting and application support), on average, £153,000 per annum.
	SAM will enable savings in staff costs specifically related to bovine TB of over £2.3 million per annum. In addition, the investment will allow legacy systems, that are approaching the end of their economic lives and are rapidly becoming unsupportable, to be retired, with consequential savings in support costs. Specifically this system will automate the administrative process relating to bovine TB (which accounts for approximately 50% of Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency's core business), improving both speed and quality. The time required to enter test results and to remove infected animals will be minimised as a result of reducing manual data entry and preventing any possible errors in duplicate data entry.

Dangerous Dogs

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what correspondence she has received on the effects on local authority budgets of dealing with dangerous dogs in England.

James Paice: There are no records of Ministers having received correspondence on this subject from local authorities. However, we are aware of their concerns regarding the costs facing them.

Dogs: Tagging

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the case for compulsory micro-chipping of dogs.

James Paice: The Government are considering a range of measures to deal with dangerous dogs and irresponsible dog ownership. One of the proposals under consideration is the compulsory micro-chipping of dogs. We have made it a priority to look at the complex issue of dangerous dogs and will shortly announce measures to tackle them and make our streets safer.

Imports: Israel

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what total volume by (a) value and (b) tonnage of fresh fruit and vegetables was imported from Israel in each of the last five years; and what proportion by (i) value and (ii) tonnage (A) had and (B) did not have a certificate of conformity with marketing standards issued by the Israeli authorities.

James Paice: The requirement for a certificate of conformity is only relevant for imports of those particular products which are covered by EU marketing standards for fresh fruit and vegetables. Certain products such as potatoes are not covered by the standards—but for information import figures for this crop are also included in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table 1: Total (a) value and (b) volume of fresh fruit and vegetables, as regulated by EU marketing standards, for 2006-10 
			  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Description £000 Tonnes £000 Tonnes £000 Tonnes £000 Tonnes £000 Tonnes 
			 Fresh fruit 30,513 37,075 31,316 41,503 24,824 31,707 27,633 31,813 27,194 28,989 
			 Fresh vegetables 14,547 13,610 18,285 15,847 12,815 12,427 14,920 25,225 16,237 18,115 
			 Source: HM Revenue and Customs. Data prepared by DEFRA. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2. Total tonnage and proportion of imports, as regulated by EU marketing standards, that (a) had (b) did not have a certificate of conformity issued by the Israeli authorities 
			  Tonnes Percentage 
			  With certificate Without Total With certificate Without 
			 2007 23,099 5,297 28,396 81 19 
			 2008 33,011 17,917 50,928 65 35 
			 2009 9,050 6,547 15,597 58 42 
			 2010 17,418 11,561 28,979 60 40 
			 2011(1) 11,963 3,127 15,090 79 21 
			 (1) Until 22 November 2011 Note: July 2009—changes to the marketing standards saw the number of specific marketing standards reduced from 36 to 10. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3. Total (a) value and (b) volume of imports of potatoes 
			   2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Type Description £000 Tonnes £000 Tonnes £000 Tonnes £000 Tonnes £000 Tonnes 
			 Potatoes New potatoes; fresh or chilled 25,500 82,306 31,005 101,086 31,338 103,091 18,861 63,508 18,900 61,236 
			  Potatoes-other (main crop/ware); fresh or chilled 1,329 4,018 2,057 7,295 2,719 10,484 4,373 16,970 771 2,107 
			  Potatoes total 26,829 86,323 33,062 108,381 34,057 113,575 23,234 80,477 19,672 63,343 
			 Source: HM Revenue and Customs. Data prepared by DEFRA.

Livestock: Disease Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the risk to human and animal health of the use of antibiotics on farm animals as a preventative measure.

James Paice: All veterinary medicinal products must satisfy extensive safety criteria, which include safety to the animal being treated, safety to humans and safety to the environment before being granted a marketing authorisation. Efficacy and quality criteria must also be satisfied. There is also a specific requirement for manufacturers to supply data to address the area of the development of resistance new antibiotic products prior to authorisation.
	Veterinary medicinal products containing antibiotics are available only on veterinary prescription. Where products have been authorised for use in food producing animals, the greater majority are authorised for the treatment of disease. This authorisation includes the treatment of groups of animals when not all individual animals have developed the symptoms of the disease. A minority of veterinary medicinal product containing antibiotics are authorised for the prevention of disease in farmed animals and these include those used to prevent mastitis in dairy cattle at drying-off.

Livestock: Disease Control

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of animals subjected to mulesing in England in the latest period for which figures are available; and what assessment she has made of the effect of this practice on the welfare of the animal.

James Paice: Mulesing is not a permitted procedure in the UK. There have been no reported illegal mutilations of animals in this way in the UK, therefore no assessment of this practice has been made on the welfare of the UK-reared animal.

Veterinary Laboratory Service: Redundancy

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what impact assessment her Department has conducted on (a) the loss of 81 members of staff in the rationalisation of the Veterinary Laboratory Service and (b) what impact the loss of 81 staff members will have on the level of service provided by the Veterinary Laboratory Agency; and if she will place (i) the impact assessment and (ii) the academic model on which the proposed rationalisation is based in the Library.

James Paice: In April 2011 the AHVLA executive team initiated a review of the delivery of laboratory services across England and Wales. This work followed the earlier AHVLA sustainable surveillance project which recommended that the post mortem examination of carcases, which makes up the most critical aspect of surveillance work, be de-coupled from the provision of laboratory service functions, removing the requirement for co-location of the two work areas.
	No formal impact assessment is required for changes such as these. Under the current Better Regulation Guidance it states that if there is no impact on regulation and there is no increased cost to the end user then no impact assessment is required. The decision on which laboratories would retain laboratory services was based on a number of factors including future needs for specialist skills, staff capacity to deliver the volumes of work, facilities required, and retaining resilience of service delivery.
	The basis for the new delivery model is not an academic study; it is our experience of the model used successfully at the University Veterinary Schools surveillance centres at both Liverpool and London. At these sites the university staff accept carcase material and then forward samples onto the relevant AHVLA regional laboratory as no testing is carried out at the veterinary schools.
	The onward submission of tests to other laboratory sites is also common practice at all post mortem sites, so this is an extension of existing practice.
	The ability to respond to disease outbreak with a surge in capacity is maintained as confirmatory tests for notifiable diseases are carried out by Weybridge which is not part of the regional laboratory network. AHVLA is confident that service levels will not be reduced with the proposed changes.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to answer question 70107, on electronic training aids for cats, tabled by the hon. Member for North East Derbyshire on 2 September 2011 for answer on 6 September 2011.

James Paice: I apologise to the hon. Member. My answer on electronic training aids for cats was published on 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 436.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Cadets

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2011, Official Report, column 974W, on armed forces: cadets, if he will consider extending the central provision of insurance for sea cadet forces to cover buildings insurance.

Andrew Robathan: Sea cadet units are independent charities in their own right, affiliated to the Marine Society and sea. cadets subject to certain conditions being in place. Each unit therefore is responsible for funding its own running costs, including buildings insurance, which they do in the main with considerable success. The Marine Society and sea cadets provide a competitive package through their insurers with a free direct debit service for units to spread this through the year. There are no current plans to increase the central provision to include buildings insurance.

Armed Forces: Education

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to ensure that education and training for armed forces recruits aged between 16 and 18 years meet the minimum standards recommended by the Wolf Review of vocational education; and what the cost of meeting these standards is.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 8 December 2011
	The Government's acceptance of the recommendations of the Wolf Review of Vocational Education, means that functional skills and GCSEs will be the only recognised pathways to achieve the compulsory English and maths elements of an apprenticeship. The armed forces are committed to the introduction of functional skills and some areas already exceed the minimum requirements laid down in the Wolf Report. All areas will meet these requirements within the timescales laid down, under transition arrangements for the introduction of functional skills.
	The costs of delivering apprenticeships for those aged between 16 and 18 years are embedded in the total training costs and cannot be separated without incurring disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Food

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made to the Pay As You Dine scheme since May 2010.

Andrew Robathan: There have been no changes to the Pay As You Dine scheme since May 2010.

Armed Forces: Housing

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF personnel in Afghanistan who will return to a different accommodation when they have completed their deployment in the next year;
	(2)  how many (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF personnel in Afghanistan will be informed of the location of their service accommodation on return from their deployment;
	(3)  how many (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF personnel overseas will return to a different accommodation having completed their deployment in the next year;
	(4)  how many (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF personnel currently overseas will be informed of the location of their service accommodation on return from deployment in the next year.

Andrew Robathan: No service families with a member away on operational deployment will be asked to move to a different service family accommodation property during their deployment.
	Personnel in single living accommodation are not generally moved to alternative accommodation while away on operational deployment. Information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Leisure Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland which offer discounts for local authority-owned leisure services for (i) serving members and (ii) veterans of the armed forces;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the Department for Communities and Local Government on local authorities offering discounted leisure services to (a) serving servicemen and women and (b) veterans of the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 8 December 2011
	The Ministry of Defence (MOD) welcomes all initiatives to offer discounts to serving personnel or veterans. While no estimate or formal discussions have taken place, the MOD held an armed forces community covenant conference with the Local Government Association for local authorities in England on 1 November 2011. In the discussions and workshops that took place, the issue of offering discounts to members of the armed forces community was discussed, with some local authorities providing examples of what discounts they offered. Ultimately decisions on these matters must be for the local authorities themselves.
	In addition, the MOD provides, through an agreement with a contractor, a Defence discount scheme which is open to all those who are serving, have served, their families, MOD civil servants, cadets, reservists and NATO personnel serving in the UK. The scheme has partnered with over 1,200 businesses offering thousands of discounts across the UK. The scheme has an active membership of over 190,000 members; is free to join; and is easily accessed through the website:
	www.forcesdiscounts-mod.co.uk

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what efficiency savings his Department made in 2010-11; what savings he expects to make in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; what targets he has set for each of these years; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: The efficiency programme set out in the 2010 spending review began at the start of the current financial year. The previous financial year was covered by the value for money programme that saved £2.8 billion over the years covered by the 2007 comprehensive spending review.
	The Ministry of Defence is committed to realise £3.2 billion in efficiencies over the spending review period. Detailed analysis of our performance against these measures will be reported annually, after the departmental accounts have been audited.

Railways

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Transport on the potential for greater use of his Department's rail infrastructure in and around Bicester following the re-opening of the east-west rail link between Oxford and Milton Keynes.

Andrew Robathan: Ministry of Defence (MOD) officials are in discussions with the Department for Transport for the utilisation of the rail network at the MOD site in Bicester.
	The Department for Transport is supportive of the MOD's proposals including retention and exploitation of rail connections.

Ex-servicemen: Employment

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many veterans of the armed forces have found long-term work through the Employment Support Programme in each year since its creation;
	(2)  how many armed forces veterans have found long-term work through the Full Resettlement programme in each year since its creation;
	(3)  how many veterans have found long-term work through the Career Transition Partnership (a) in total and (b) in each year since its creation.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 29 November 2011
	This information is not collected by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as it would require former service personnel to notify the MOD when they have obtained or changed employment. However, the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) undertakes a survey at six months after discharge and the following table lists the total number of service leavers who have gained employment within six months of being discharged since 2005. We do not maintain records for individual programmes ran by CTP.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of career transition clients employed within six months of discharge 
			 2005-06 9,811 
			 2006-07 11,819 
			 2007-08 12,673 
			 2008-09 8,666 
			 2009-10 10,047 
		
	
	This indicates that, over the period, some 95% of CTP clients have secured employment within six months of leaving.

Iran: Nuclear Weapons

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment is of the potential for the weaponisation of the Iranian nuclear programme.

Nick Harvey: In November the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressed
	“serious concerns”
	about credible information that
	“indicates that Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device.”
	It also suggests that some activities relevant to the development of such a device may still be ongoing. We share these concerns and continue to call for full implementation by Iran of United Nations Security Council and IAEA Board of Governors Resolutions.

Postcodes

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department uses postcodes for purposes other than the postage of mail.

Andrew Robathan: Postcodes are used in the Ministry of Defence for purposes other than the postage of mail but it is not possible to provide a definitive and detailed list of these uses, because this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The following examples are no more than indicative.
	Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) use postcodes as the basis for aggregating statistics on stationed location, as published in TSP 10—UK Regular Forces Stationed Location and available online at:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php ?page=48&thiscontent=100&pubType=0&date=2011-11-17&dis Text=01%20Oct%202011&from=historic&topDate=2011-11-17 &PublishTime=09:30:00
	The postcodes are used to identify an individual's base location and to count how many people are stationed within a particular base, local authority, region, or country.
	Postcodes have also been used to group the responses to administration surveys into rough areas by using the first part of the postcode eg SW1A 2HB would be collated with other responses in the SW1A area, cross referenced to the post town.

RAF Lossiemouth

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2011, Official Report, column 368W, on RAF Lossiemouth, European Fighter Aircraft, for what period of time RAF Lossiemouth undertook the Quick Reaction Alert North role when resurfacing work was undertaken at RAF Leuchars; and on how many occasions aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth were (a) scrambled and (b) launched in that role during that period;
	(2)  on how many occasions aircraft from RAF Leuchars have responded to incidents which (a) involved and (b) did not involve aircraft from foreign powers in the last 10 years.

Nick Harvey: The choice of the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) base or bases used for each incident is at the discretion of the tactical commander and forms part of the deterrent value of our QRA posture. Therefore, it is departmental policy only to release limited statistics relating to QRA launches.
	QRA statistics are no longer held for incidents prior to September 2006. All launches of the QRA force from September 2006 were either for Russian military aviation (Bear or Blackjack aircraft) which approached the NATO Air Policing Area (for which the UK has responsibility) or aircraft within UK civil airspace that were causing concern to air traffic controllers. The aircraft that were causing concern to civil controllers were a range of aircraft types registered in a range of countries, including the UK.
	The number of days on which RAF QRA aircraft have been launched from all QRA bases since September 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			 Number of days QRA launched Number 
			 2006 (since September) 2 
			 2007 24 
			 2008 15 
			 2009 14 
			 2010 14 
			 2011 18

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Richard Drax: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will review the Strategic Defence and Security Review in the light of global instability;
	(2)  if he will review the Strategic Defence and Security Review in the light of rising unemployment.

Philip Hammond: No. Events have demonstrated that the central finding of the Strategic Defence and Security Review—the need for the UK to adopt an adaptable posture—remains appropriate.

Warships: Wrecks

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to identify and contact the current owners of HMS Aboukir, HMS Hogue and HMS Cressy to seek their assistance in preventing further disturbance to these three war graves;
	(2)  whether there are provisions in the contract of sale of the wrecks of HMS Aboukir, HMS Hogue and HMS Cressy to provide for the proper treatment of human remains;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the salvors fulfil their legal obligations to land and report any recovery of personal possessions of the crews of HMS Aboukir, HMS Hogue and HMS Cressy.

Andrew Robathan: Departmental records indicate that these three wrecks were sold, apparently for scrap, in 1954. We are aware that salvage subsequently took place in the 1950s and 1960s. Records do not identify the purchaser.
	No details remain on the circumstances of the sale or of the provisions of the agreement.
	It is the responsibility of the salvors to comply with the appropriate national legislation wherever wreck material is landed, whether this comprises of the ship's fixtures and fittings or the personal possessions of individuals. Notwithstanding the particular circumstances of these three wrecks, the Ministry of Defence is continuing to liaise and work with the Dutch authorities with respect to the activities of salvors based in the Netherlands and on issues related to naval wreck protection in general.

Warships: Wrecks

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the protection of maritime war graves in international waters; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Government view wrecked military vessels, wherever they may lie, as being the last resting places of those who lost their lives in the ship's sinking. As a general principle we believe that such sites should remain undisturbed to the maximum extent possible.
	With regard to the protection of such wrecks in international waters, depending on the circumstances of the individual case we would look to make use of our rights in international law together with domestic legislation where appropriate.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband: Expenditure

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much his Department has invested in broadband infrastructure in each of the last three financial years.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been responsible for broadband delivery since April 2011. The Department has £530 million to support broadband infrastructure over the period to 2015, and indicative funding allocations for each local authority area and the devolved Administrations were announced in the summer. Each area needs to undertake a procurement to select a broadband supplier and funding will be paid in accordance with the achievement of delivery targets by the supplier. No projects have yet reached this stage and consequently no payments have been made so far. Currently eight local broadband projects are in procurement and a further four local areas have agreed Local Broadband Plans. Together, these represent nearly half of the allocated funding. The other areas of the country are currently developing their plans.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: This Department's internal audit function is provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government's Internal Audit Services (IAS), which operates to Government Internal Audit Standards. IAS produces an annual audit plan that is agreed with the Department on the basis of need, priority and expected value added, and is approved by its Audit and Risk Committee (ARC). The plan includes a core package of audits on controls and compliance, necessary to provide assurance to the accounting officer at the year end and which will support the annual Governance Statement (which replaces the Statement on Internal Control this financial year). In addition, there is a programme of risk-based work, which reflects the Department's priorities and high-level risk registers and is developed during the year in the light of changes in the risk environment. The plan also contains a flexible allowance—for ad hoc advisory work and to enable timely response to changes in risk profile or other developments during the year. Prior experience, assessment of urgency and regular contact with senior management, the ARC and the National Audit Office all inform the precise timing of individual internal audits.
	The equivalent information for the Department's public bodies is not held centrally, though the criteria used by them would be set by each individual body's own board and audit committee.

Secondment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many secondees are working in his Department and its associated public bodies; from which organisations; for how long each secondment is due to last; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: There are 16 secondees working in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as outlined in the following table.
	
		
			 Home organisation Expected leaving date Work area 
			 Royal Parks 30 October 2012 DCMS 
			 Qualifications Curriculum Authority 19 October 2012 DCMS 
			 Electoral Commission 7 November 2012 DCMS 
			 National Audit Office 31 October 2012 DCMS 
			 English Cricket Board 16 April 2012 DCMS 
			 Royal Air Force 31 October 2012 Olympic Games 
			 Olympic Delivery Authority 30 September 2012 Olympic Games 
			 DWP 31 October 2012 Olympic Games 
			 Olympic Delivery Authority 31 December 2011 Olympic Games 
			 Olympic Delivery Authority 30 November 2012 Olympic Games 
			 Transport for London 20 April 2012 Olympic Games 
			 Transport for London 30 December 2011 Olympic Games 
			 Hitachi 1 August 2012 Olympic Games 
			 Olympic Delivery Authority 31 December 2012 Olympic Games 
			 Olympic Delivery Authority 30 September 2012 Olympic Games 
			 Olympic Delivery Authority 30 September 2012 Olympic Games 
		
	
	We do not collate this information for our non-departmental public bodies. Accordingly, I have asked each of their chief executives to write directly to the hon. Member for Harrow West. Copies of the replies will be placed in both House Libraries.

Ofcom: Finance

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the budget is for Ofcom for the period 2008 to 2016.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom's budgets for 2008-09 to 2011-12 inclusive are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Budget (£ million) 
			 2008-09 133.7 
			 2009-10 136.8 
			 2010-11 142.5 
			   
			 2011-12  
			 Including six months post 119.8 
			 Excluding post (115.8) 
		
	
	Ofcom has not set its budget beyond 2011-12. However, the funding cap agreed by HM Treasury as part of the recent spending review, and from within which Ofcom will set future budgets for the years 2012-13 to 2014-15 inclusive, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Budget (£ million) 
			 2012-13 125.9 
			 2013-14 121.0 
			 2014-15 119.7

Olympic Games 2012: Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the cost was of operating the London 2012 Business Network in each year since its establishment.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department has interpreted this question as being the cost of the CompeteFor service (the website chosen by London 2012 for the publication of Games-related contract opportunities).
	CompeteFor cost £3.633 million to develop, which included concept development, specification, implementation and testing, and establishing the support structure.
	A summary of the operating costs of CompeteFor for each financial year is shown as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year CompeteFor (website and helpdesk) (£) 
			 2007/08 (1)220,000 
			 2008/09 1,226,633 
			 2009/10 1,201,555 
			 2010/11 853,163 
			 2011/12 (projected) 799,230 
			 (1) December to March 
		
	
	In addition, CompeteFor employs a buyer engagement service, helping buying organisations to ensure they are supported and to maximise their use of CompeteFor.
	The cost of the buyer engagement service for each financial year is shown as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Buyer engagement service (£) 
			 2007/08 587,000 
			 2008/09 1,036,082 
			 2009/10 993,980 
			 2010/11 1,066,301 
			 2011/12 (projected) 772,085 
		
	
	CompeteFor has been funded by the regional development agencies in England along with the devolved Administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Radio Frequencies

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the monetary value of receipts from the auction of 4G spectrum.

Edward Vaizey: We have made no estimates of the monetary value of receipts from auctions. Similar auctions for 4G spectrum across Europe have raised significantly different amounts. The recent German auction raised a total of €4.4 billion for spectrum in three bands and France's recent auction of Spectrum at 2.6 GHz raised €936 million in total. This has to be compared with spectrum auctions in other countries which raised much lower amounts, Sweden raised approximately €233 million for the 800 MHz band in its recent auction and Finland raised approximately €3.8 million in its auction of 2.6 GHz spectrum. It should be noted that the forthcoming auction in the UK may be under different terms to those and the UK market is different to markets in those countries.

Radio Frequencies

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the monetary value of receipts from the release of spectrum below 5 GHz.

Edward Vaizey: We have made no estimates on the likely revenues that could be generated by the release of the 500 MHz of publically held spectrum. The purpose of the release is to generate innovation and commercial opportunities for industry rather than to generate revenue. In addition the exact bands to be released have not been decided yet and this would be a significant factor in determining the value of the spectrum to industry.

International Sporting Events

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will estimate the financial benefit to the economy of international sporting events staged in the UK for each of the last three financial years.

Hugh Robertson: The evidence we have of financial benefits to the economy from international sporting events staged in the UK relates to events supported through UK Sport's Major Events Programme. While these are supported to deliver a wide range of impacts, research shows that for every £1 of investment into those events, a net economic impact of £4.87 has been felt in the host economy, generating a projected overall impact of £48 million from an investment of £9.86 million.
	The £6 billion investment in the building of the Olympic Park and Village has already had 98% of contracts awarded to British businesses and over 40,000 people having worked to build the Olympic Park and Village by the time all work is complete. The whole of the UK stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the 2012 Games, through businesses winning Games-related work, increased tourism and cultural celebrations.

Sports: VAT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the decision by HM Revenue and Customs that the provision of sports league services is subject to VAT at the standard rate.

Hugh Robertson: I recently wrote to the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Gauke), about the VAT treatment of sports leagues. The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury clarified that the standard rate of VAT has always been in place for sports leagues. They issued the Revenue and Customs Brief 04/11 in February to make clear this position.

Sports: VAT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the potential effects on levels of participation in sport of the decision by HM Revenue and Customs that the provision of sports league services is subject to VAT at the standard rate.

Hugh Robertson: Neither the Department nor Sport England have made a specific assessment of the potential effects on levels of participation in sport by the VAT treatment of sports leagues. However, we do record participation levels in sport via the Taking Part Survey and Active People Survey which can be found at the following links:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/research_and_statistics/4828.aspx
	and
	http://www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_survey.aspx

Sports: VAT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will offer assistance to providers of league sport services whose businesses are affected by the HM Revenue and Customs decision that the provision of such services is subject to VAT at the standard rate.

Hugh Robertson: The Revenue and Customs Brief 04/11, issued in February by HM Revenue and Customs:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/briefs/vat/brief0411.htm
	advises businesses who feel they have been affected by incorrect advice to contact the HMRC Complaints Team. The Department does not have an intention to provide an additional service for such businesses.

Television: Licences

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what information his Department holds on the number of television licences issued in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how much income was generated.

John Penrose: My Department does not hold information on the number of television licences broken down by nation. The BBC does not calculate these figures.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date.

Nicholas Clegg: The information is not held in the format requested.
	Of the 564 questions tabled to me for ordinary written answer between 12 May 2010 and 30 November 2011, 493 (88%) received a substantive response within the five sitting day deadline.

Domestic Visits

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many visits he has undertaken in an official capacity to (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland since his appointment; and whether he plans to visit Northern Ireland in 2012.

Nicholas Clegg: During my time in office I have visited Scotland three times, Wales twice and Northern Ireland once. My travel plans for the forthcoming year have not been confirmed.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consideration has been given by the Collaborative Spatial Planning Group of the British-Irish Council to the availability of sites for Irish Travellers across British and Irish jurisdictions; and if he will place the most recent work programme of that group in the Library.

Nicholas Clegg: There has been no such consideration by the British-Irish Council Collaborative Spatial Planning group.
	The British-Irish Council provides a consultative, inter-executive forum that allows its members to consult, discuss and exchange views on a range of issues, on a confidential basis. Biannual updates of the Collaborative Spatial Planning group's work can be found in the British-Irish Council summit communiqués, available to the public through:
	http://www.gov.je/britishirishcouncil/Pages/index.aspx

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will estimate the average level of council tax per capita for (a) Suffolk Coastal, (b) Teignbridge, (c) Breckland, (d) Mid Sussex, (e) South Oxfordshire, (f) South Cambridgeshire, (g) East Lindsey, (h) Isle of Wight and (i) Wealden in each year between 2008-09 and 2011-12;
	(2)  if he will estimate the average level of council tax per capita for (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, (b) Preston, (c) Middlesbrough, (d) Poole, (e) Arun and (f) Elmbridge in each year between 2008-09 and 2011-12;
	(3)  if he will estimate the average level of council tax per capita for (a) Ipswich, (b) Halton, (c) Nuneaton and Bedworth, (d) Slough, (e) Norwich, (f) Thanet, (g) Reigate and Banstead, (h) Torbay, (i) Windsor and Maidenhead, (j) Oxford, (k) Canterbury and (l) Blackburn with Darwen in each year between 2008-09 and 2011-12.

Bob Neill: holding answer 6 December 2011
	Figures on average council tax per dwelling and average band D council tax by local authority can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/counciltax/
	Figures on council tax requirements by local authority can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localregional/localgovernmentfinance/statistics/revenueexpenditure/
	Mid-year population estimates by local authority area are published by the Office for National Statistics.
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/population/population-change/population-estimates

Council Tax Benefits

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress his Department has made on the implementation of council tax benefit localisation.

Bob Neill: The consultation on proposals for localising support for council tax in England closed on 14 October 2011, and the Government will publish a formal response in due course, alongside draft legislation. The Department is continuing to discuss its proposals, and plans for enabling local schemes to be implemented by April 2013, with Local Government.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: Internal audit services in the Department for Communities and Local Government provide the internal audit function to the Department, and six of the 18 executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies, public corporations and public body for which the Department is responsible. The others use their own criteria for deciding what should be audited and this information is not held centrally.
	The delivery of internal audit services is governed by Government internal audit standards and these standards ensure a consistent and robust approach to the delivery of services, including the determination of the scope of Internal Audit plans.
	Internal audits are undertaken by internal audit services as part of agreed annual internal audit plans. These are compiled by looking at the risk profile of the Department (and its bodies where the service provides the internal audit function) through: discussions with senior management; the National Audit Office; and reviews of high level risk registers. These are agreed with the Audit and Risk Committees and are reviewed throughout the year to reflect changes in the risk profile. The timing of internal audit reviews is determined as part of this process.

Departmental Communications

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: All departmental staff employed in communications roles are members of the Department’s Communication Directorate, which comprises external communications division and corporate communications division, managed by the Director of Communication.
	At the time the current Administration took office in May 2010, the Department employed 72 people with a communications remit. As at 30 November 2011, there are 52 staff working in communication roles in the Department. As part of the Department’s organisational restructuring, the Communication Directorate’s staffing levels will decrease further during 2012, with seven members of staff leaving by April.
	Of the current staffing: external communications currently employs 25 communications officers working on a combination of press, marketing, speechwriting and news planning. This equates to 23.4 full-time equivalent posts, as some members of staff are employed part time. There are 15 people who work predominantly on press office duties.
	Corporate communications currently employs 23 communications officers working on internal communication, web management, print/publishing and the Info4Local internet service. This equates to 22.6 full-time equivalent posts. Four other communications specialists within Communication Directorate work directly with policy directorates.
	The Department does not hold a comprehensive, up-to-date record of the communications posts across all of its public bodies. However, the Department and its public bodies are increasingly working together to provide communication services more efficiently, reflecting the best practice that we are encouraging local government to follow. The number of communication specialists across the Department and its public bodies will be reduced by a further 17 full-time equivalent posts by October 2012.

Departmental Judicial Review

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant.

Bob Neill: All litigation cases against the Department are managed by the Treasury Solicitors Department under a service level agreement. The litigation cases include judicial reviews, statutory planning appeals (some of which are also judicial reviews), compulsory purchase order challenges, personal injury, employment and contractual cases.
	(a) In the last Parliament under the previous Administration from 5 May 2005 to 6 May 2010 there were on average 260 open cases at any one time and DCLG paid around £9,105,000 in total for that period;
	(b) Since 7 May 2010 to 31 October 2011 there were on average 230 open cases at any one time, including legal challenges inherited from the previous Administration. DCLG paid around £2,084,000 in total for that period. The costs paid to the Treasury Solicitors included fees, disbursements and adverse costs.
	To disaggregate this information further, for just judicial review cases and to identify applications that succeeded, failed, remains pending, costs awarded and paid could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any senior staff in (a) his Department and (b) its Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary; and if he will publish his policy on such payments.

Bob Neill: No senior staff in the Department for Communities and Local Government (either in the Department, its Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies) are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary. The Department does not have a formal policy in relation to this issue.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

Bob Neill: The readily available information, which relates to the month in which parliamentary questions were tabled, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 2011 Number of named day questions Answered on time or within five sitting days (1) 
			 May 48 44 
			 June 71 61 
			 July 55 54 
			 August 7 7 
			 September 24 21 
			 October 60 57 
			 (1) Including non-sitting Fridays. 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department’s performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Homes and Communities Agency: Equality

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria were used to select the members of the Homes and Communities Agency's Diversity and Equality Working Group; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Homes and Communities Agency established an Equality and Diversity Board Advisory Group in June 2009. The Advisory Group acts in an advisory capacity for the agency on diversity and equality issues in relation to its operations as well as organisational issues. It has no authority over the activities of the board, executive management team, staff or the agency's resources. Its terms of reference are available at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/equality-and-diversity-advisory-group
	Members serve a term of three years. The group has an independent Chair, Dorian Leatham, appointed by the Homes and Communities Agency's Board. Professor Peter Roberts represents the Agency Board. The Homes and Communities Agency directly appointed three members based on specific areas of expertise with the remaining eight members being selected and appointed in April 2009 following an open competition. All members of the group are expected to demonstrate an expertise and commitment to equality and diversity as well as an understanding of housing and regeneration. Group members are not paid (beyond reasonable travel and subsistence claims).

Housing: North-east England

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his policy on underoccupancy, what assessment he has made of (a) the availability of and (b) potential changes in demand for one-bedroom properties in (i) County Durham and (ii) the North East.

Andrew Stunell: Information is not available on the total stock of one-bedroom properties in County Durham and the North East. Estimates of one-bedroom properties as a percentage of all new build properties are available in Table 254 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housebuilding/livetables/
	There are 4,507 one bedroom local authority properties in Durham Unitary Authority accounting for 24% of the local authority's stock. In the North East there are 25,804 one bedroom local authority properties accounting for 22% of the local authority stock in the region.
	Estimates are not available for the future demand of one-bed properties. The Department does not forecast housing need. However, the Department publishes household projections that show the number of households by size that would form if previous demographic trends were to continue. These are available in Table 420 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/householdestimates/livetables-households/

Housing: Population

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect on UK housing stock of (a) migration from the EU and (b) non-EU immigration.

Andrew Stunell: The Department does not estimate housing need. However, the Department publishes household projections, which are a trend-based view of the number of households that would form given a projected population and previous demographic trends (including migration). Local authorities should use the projections as a part of the evidence base for assessing future housing demand.
	The number of households in England is projected to grow to 27.5 million in 2033, an increase of 5.8 million (27%) over 2008, or 232,000 households per year. International migration, based on past trends, contributes around 40% towards this projected increase in households. It is not possible to break this down into EU and non-EU migration.
	Government have committed to reduce net migration from the current hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands per year. We have already introduced a series of measures in relation to migrant workers and students, including a limit on the number of skilled workers, and will introduce measures on settlement and family later this year.

Non-domestic Rates

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the effect on rural areas of (a) any changes to the arrangements for local retention of business rates and (b) proposals for metropolitan areas to retain a greater proportion of business rates.

Bob Neill: The Government will shortly be introducing a Bill to give effect to their proposals for business rates retention. This Bill will be accompanied by an impact assessment setting out the Government's initial views on the impacts of the proposals.

Right to Buy Scheme

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of homes that will be sold under the new right to buy scheme in each year between 2012-13 and 2015-16. [R]

Grant Shapps: We will be publishing a consultation paper shortly seeking views on our proposals to reinvigorate the right to buy and an impact assessment detailing the impact of the proposed changes.

Right to Buy Scheme

Nick Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the potential implications for housing benefit expenditure of the extension of the Right to Buy scheme under which homes sold will be replaced by hew homes let as affordable rents. [R]

Grant Shapps: The Government have announced their intention to reinvigorate the Right to Buy—to support social housing tenants who aspire to own their own home, by raising the discount to make it attractive to tenants across England.
	To support tenants and help build more affordable housing, we are matching this with a commitment that for every additional home bought under Right to Buy, a new affordable home will be built.
	We will issue a consultation on our proposals shortly and intend to publish an Impact Assessment.

Right to Buy Scheme

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes his Department estimates will be created from the revenue from the sale of social housing properties to their tenants at a 50 per cent. discount.

Grant Shapps: The receipts generated by right to buy sales will be used not only to pay down the debt associated with that property but also help to fund the delivery of new affordable homes on a one for one basis.
	We will be consulting shortly on the best way to ensure delivery of replacement homes across England.

Social Rented Housing: Armed Forces

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2011, Official Report, column 991W, on social rented housing: armed forces, 
	(1)  what steps his Department plans to take to measure the effect of its proposed changes to the social housing additional preference given to members of the armed forces;
	(2)  for what reasons his Department decided it was necessary to consult on a change to the law in order to require local housing authorities in England to provide for former service personnel with urgent housing needs to receive additional preference in their allocation scheme;
	(3)  whether he plans to collect information on (a) the number of armed forces personnel and veterans on the waiting lists and (b) the councils which give additional preference to armed forces personnel and veterans in the future.

Grant Shapps: The Government believe it is right that those who have put their life on the line for their country should receive the priority for social housing they need and deserve. We also believe that local authorities in England who are required to implement the regulations, as well as others who are affected by them, should have the opportunity to comment on these changes.
	We are considering appropriate changes to the system used by councils and housing associations to record lettings (the CoRe lettings log) so we can monitor the number of social tenancies granted to service personnel. Local authorities are already obliged to make their allocation scheme available to the public.

Urban Areas: Finance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2011, Official Report, columns 25-6W, on urban areas: finance, which local authorities have applied for support from the High Street Support scheme; how much was distributed to each local authority; and which bids for funding were turned down.

Bob Neill: holding answer 23 November 2011
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1027W. This outlines how practical support and financial funding has been given by local authorities to local residents and local firms through the Homelessness Support Scheme, the Recovery Fund and the High Street Support Scheme.
	Under these schemes, local councils have been in the lead in providing support. Central Government subsequently are reimbursing local councils for their costs retrospectively.
	Since that answer, I can inform the House that my Department has made a second set of payments under the Recovery Fund, totalling £1,324,602. This relates to:
	London borough of Croydon: £993,749. This includes funding for works to deal with dangerous structures, site clearance and emergency works to highways and footpaths, council tax discounts, street lighting and cleaning.
	London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority: £194,484. The majority of this claim is for staff overtime costs.
	London borough of Lambeth: £64,989. This relates to additional staff costs for youth custody services and the clearing of debris.
	Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service: £33,143, in respect of overtime and incidental expenses.
	Nottingham city council: £28,482, for costs relating to overtime, cleaning and emergency control centre operations, legal costs and youth activities.
	Salford city council: £5,466. The expenditure relates to emergency repairs, street cleaning and staff overtime.
	Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Combined Fire Authority: £2,206, for overtime costs.
	London borough of Lewisham: £2,083, relating to clearing debris.
	As I outlined in my earlier answer, the deadline for councils to claim back their expenditure which they have incurred under the High Street Support Scheme is 31 January 2012.
	I will update hon. and right hon. Members in due course on further payments that are made under the schemes.

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to ensure local authorities follow best value guidance when making decisions on the funding of voluntary sector organisations; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Best Value guidance, published on 2 September, is statutory and local authorities are required to have regard to it. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), wrote to all local authority leaders and chief executives at the time of consultation on the revised Best Value guidance. Following the consultation DCLG issued a press notice and wrote to all those who had been consulted informing them that the revised guidance had been published.

Wildlife: EU Action

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department is to be involved in the review of the implementation of the (a) Habitats and (b) Wild Birds Directive.

Bob Neill: Yes. My Department will be involved in this review which will be led by DEFRA.

TRANSPORT

Biofuels: Government Assistance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding her Department provides to assist the development of biofuels.

Norman Baker: The primary support for biofuels is through the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO), which obligates fossil road transport fuel suppliers to produce evidence that a specified percentage of their fuels for road transport in the UK comes from renewable sources. The RTFO includes a certificate trading mechanism to increase the efficiency of compliance. One certificate is awarded for each litre of biofuel (or kilogram in the case of biogas) supplied. From 15 December 2011, to increase the support for innovative biofuels, two certificates will be awarded for each litre of biofuel produced from non-food cellulose or lignocellulosic material. There will also be two certificates for each litre of biofuels from wastes and residues.

Cycling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) letters and (b) emails her Department has received on cycling in the last 12 months. [Official Report, 23 February 2012, Vol. 540, c. 1MC.]

Norman Baker: The Department has received 136 letters and 135 emails regarding cycling in the last 12 months.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the cost of installing automatic number plate recognition systems for use at the Dartford Crossing.

Michael Penning: The proposals for an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system are currently being considered as part of the preliminary design stage for a free-flow charging scheme at the Dartford Crossing.
	Final decisions on that design have yet to be taken and therefore the cost of installation is yet to be determined.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria (a) her Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Internal audit functions for the Department for Transport, its executive agencies, trading funds and non-departmental public bodies operate to a common methodology, which is consistent with the requirements of the standards issued by the Institute of Internal Auditors, and with Government Internal Auditing Standards.
	Audit planning is designed to identify organisational objectives, risks to the achievement of objectives and controls used to manage risks in order to provide integrated assurance to each Accounting Officer. This is achieved through a combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches to identify and prioritise audit assignments consistent with the following criteria:
	alignment to key business/corporate plans, objectives and priorities;
	assures the mitigation of board-level strategic risks, and key risks for constituent parts of each organisation;
	reflects the maturity of existing internal control frameworks, risk management processes and assurance sources;
	provides coverage of core internal/compliance functions;
	revisits areas audited in previous years that require follow-up;
	activity mandated by HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, etc;
	where appropriate, responds to management requests for advice on improving the management of risks and internal controls/operations; or investigates impropriety and other irregularities (for example, arising from whistleblowing or allegations of fraud);
	is delivered by the most appropriate assurance provider (for example, does not duplicate work of others such as the external auditors); and
	is scheduled when the activity will provide most value, within the confines of the availability of audit resources and the need to provide an annual audit opinion.
	The resulting plan is presented to the Accounting Officer and to the Audit Committee, who provide a ‘top down’ view, prior to formally agreeing the plan.

Departmental Civil Proceedings

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which organisations that have received funding from her Department have brought legal proceedings against her Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether her Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases.

Norman Baker: During the last five years, there were two sets of legal proceedings in the superior courts (in both instances in the High Court) brought against the Secretary of State by organisations that also received funding from the central Department for Transport. To confirm the position as regards courts other than superior courts, or in relation to the Department's seven executive agencies would, I regret, incur a disproportionate cost.
	The organisations/legal proceedings mentioned above are as follows:
	EWHC 3024 (Admin) (25 November 2009).
	First Essex Buses Ltd received funding by way of the bus service operators' grant.
	First Essex Buses Ltd was not successful in its application for judicial review. Costs were applied for and the payment for costs is being pursued.
	EWHC 223 (Admin) (16 February 2010).
	The organisations receiving funding by way of the bus service operators grant:
	I. The United Omnibus Company Limited
	II. Stagecoach West Limited
	III. Stagecoach (South) Limited
	IV. Lincolnshire Road Car Limited
	V. Midland Red (South) Limited
	VI. Thames Transit Limited
	VII. East Kent Car Company Limited
	VIII. Stagecoach Devon Limited
	IX. Cambus Holdings Limited
	X. East Midland Motor Services Limited
	XI. East Kent Road Car Limited
	XII. Solent Blue Line Limited
	XIII. Wiltshire and Dorset Bus Company Limited
	XIV. Marchwood Motorways (Services) Limited.
	The bus operating companies listed above were party to these five judicial review proceedings against the Secretary of State for Transport. Before the High Court was willing to deal with the individual judicial reviews, it chose to deal with “preliminary issues” on how the bus concessionary travel regime operates. (In the meantime it stayed the five individual claims.) It found in favour of the Secretary of State on the preliminary issues and awarded costs to the Secretary of State. Separately, in relation to one discrete element of the bus companies' claims, and which the Secretary of State had already conceded (called the “fixed sum” issue), the High Court ordered that the Secretary of State pay the claimants' costs, but only up to the point in time of her concession.
	Following on from this, the litigation was settled, with both sides agreeing to bear their own costs.

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to ensure that the same standards of animal welfare for whole eggs apply to imported liquefied eggs procured by (a) her Department and (b) public bodies for which she is responsible.

Norman Baker: The requested information about the steps DFT is taking to ensure that the same standards of animal welfare for whole eggs apply to imported liquefied eggs is as follows:
	D FT c entral Department
	The central Department does not use liquefied eggs.
	DVLA
	DVLA do not use liquefied eggs.
	PSA
	The Driving Standards Agency's (DSA) supplier of shell eggs will be fully compliant with the requirements of the European Union directive 1999/74/EC on the welfare of laying hens by the end of 2011. These standards will be verified independently by representatives of the British Lion scheme, which promotes the traceability, safety and quality of British eggs. DSA's supplier of liquefied eggs uses British ‘Lion Quality’ Eggs to make their products.
	The Highways Agency
	The Highways Agency has taken no specific steps.
	Other arm ’ s length bodies
	The requested information is not held for the remainder of DFT's arm’s length bodies as they do not have catering contracts in place.

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of food sourced by (a) her Department and (b) public bodies for which she is responsible was procured from UK food producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: The requested information for this year relating to on-site catering facilities that the Department has some direct responsibility for is as follows:
	
		
			 (a) 
			 Organisational unit Proportion of food sourced from UK food producers 
			 Department for Transport headquarters building Across all food groups over 70% of food is sourced to Farm Assured, Red Tractor and The Marine Stewards Council guidelines, depending on the time of year. 
			 Driving Standards Agency 56% 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 61% 
		
	
	(b) The requested information is not held by Trinity House Lighthouse Service and Northern Lighthouse Board. Other Department for Transport non departmental public bodies either do not procure food or are minor occupiers and have no direct responsibility for on-site food procurement.
	The Department cannot identify the origins of food purchased under other arrangements including as part of external room hire or conference packages.

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps (a) her Department and (b) public bodies for which she is responsible are taking to ensure that they meet the Government's buying standards for food and catering.

Norman Baker: The requested information about the steps DFT is taking to ensure it meets Government's buying standards for catering is as follows.
	DFT Central Department
	Across all food groups DFT's caterers achieve in excess of 70% compliance with Farm Assured, Red Tractor and The Marine Stewards Council guidelines, depending on the time of year. Fruit and vegetables are very difficult to comply with as many products are not available from UK producers. But where and when they are, they always buy UK if financially viable.
	Highways Agency
	The Highways Agency is currently considering how most effectively to reflect the Government's Buying Standard for food and catering services via the current contractual arrangements in place for food-based facilities to be provided at some of its office locations, and future such arrangements.
	DSA
	The Driving Standards Agency's contractor is developing contractually-binding agreements with its key food suppliers to ensure that they will adhere to guidance set out in the Government Buying Standards (GBS) document.
	They have engaged with the Agency's main food supplier to review the specific criteria of the revised GBS document and are finalising the contract amendment.
	DVLA
	DVLA procure all their food through the PFI Estates Contract. However, under schedule 13 of this contract, the service provider is obliged to comply with any Government guidance on sustainable food and farming, in delivering the Catering Service to the Agency. To ensure compliance, the service provider is required to produce all necessary, statutory reports relevant to the provision of the catering. A particular return required in this respect is, the 'Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative', which is produced annually and while we review and, in some cases challenge the data; there has to be a balance in terms of keeping the costs down.
	Other Arm’s Length Bodies
	The requested information is not held for the remainder of DFT's arm’s length bodies as they do not have catering contracts in place.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many unique hits her Department's website received in each of the last 12 months.

Norman Baker: Website traffic to www.dft.gov.uk over the last 12 months is as follows:
	
		
			  Page views Visits Visitors 
			 November 2010 4,579,391 1,485,031 1,058,312 
			 December 2010 3,555,108 1,271,618 932,690 
			 January 2011 4,452,713 1,588,600 1,182,001 
			 February 2011 4,165,102 1,488,597 1,109,981 
			 March 2011 5,086,609 1,892,725 1,431,506 
			 April 2011 5,458,349 1,897,652 1,400,886 
			 May 2011 6,925,905 2,232,341 1,610,012 
			 June 2011 6,982,689 2,246,115 1,678,568 
			 July 2011 4,340,203 1,494,544 1,131,922 
		
	
	
		
			 August 2011 4,054,133 1,409,711 1,047,569 
			 September 2011 4,019,494 1,357,722 1,028,532 
			 October 2011 4,563,834 1,566,376 1,170,278

Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what receptions and events have been hosted by her Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by third parties.

Norman Baker: The requested information is as follows:
	
		
			 Organisational unit Event Date 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency EUCARIS meeting—communications network of participating European nations to share data relating to motor vehicles and driving licences May 2010 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency Biennial Open Day June 2010 
			 Driving Standards Agency Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers (AIRSO) study day—attended by AIRSO members November 2010 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency “Deadly Mates” event—joint campaign between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Driving Standards Agency and GoSafe Road Casualty Reduction Partnership November 2010 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency E-reg subgroup—Meeting held with registration authorities from across Europe December 2010 
			 Driving Standards Agency Presentation by Loughborough University's Vehicle Research Safety Centre—Relating to the work the university was doing on driver behaviour February 2011 
			 DFT Central (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) visit—Presentation to IMechE members on RAIB's role and work September 2011 
			 Driver and Vehicle and Licensing Agency EUCARIS meeting—communications network of participating European nations to share data relating to motor vehicles and driving licences October 2011 
			 Driver and Vehicle and Licensing Agency Transport Select Committee visit to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency October 2011 
			 DFT Central (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) Loughborough University visit—Vehicle Dynamics and Crash Worthiness Course visit November 2011 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency UK reception for the International Maritime Organization (27th Assembly) November 2011 
		
	
	This excludes all events held as part of day-to-day business of the Department including working level meetings with stakeholders.
	The above also excludes events hosted at the Department for Transport headquarters building and by the Highways Agency as the requested information is not centrally recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Older Workers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people her Department employs who are aged over (a) 55 and (b) 65.

Norman Baker: On 31 October 2011 the central Department and its seven executive agencies employed:
	(a) 3,490 members of staff who were aged 55 to 64; and
	(b) 145 members of staff aged 65 and over.
	Of this total, the central Department employed 235 members of staff aged 55 to 64, and eight members of staff aged 65 and over.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent in (a) Birmingham, (b) Newcastle, (c) Wakefield, (d) Manchester, (e) Leeds, (f) Liverpool, (g) Coventry, (h) Bristol, (i) Sheffield, (j) Bradford, (k) Leicester and (l) Nottingham in the latest financial year for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: In 2010-11 the Department for Transport allocated funding to the named local authorities as per the following table. This includes un-ringfenced funding for integrated transport block and highways maintenance to local transport authorities for general capital investment in transport.
	
		
			 Local authority Funding (£000) 
			 Birmingham 67,949 
			 Bradford 13,616 
			 Bristol (1)17,530 
			 Coventry 9,742 
			 Leeds 40,013 
			 Leicester 12,439 
			 Liverpool 18,596 
			 Manchester 14,118 
			 Newcastle 8,545 
			 Nottingham 41,974 
			 Sheffield 11,661 
			 Wakefield 9,751 
			 (1) Includes Cycling Town funding both in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. 
		
	
	Funding that was allocated to Integrated Transport Authorities rather than individual local authorities but which covers the areas named is given in a separate table. It is not possible for the Department to disaggregate this funding. This table also includes funding for rail support given to Passenger Transport Executives but does not include the £70 million the Department provides to Merseytravel for the operation of the devolved Merseyrail network.
	
		
			 Integrated Transport Authority Funding (£000) 
			 Greater Manchester ITA 260,744 
			 Merseyside ITA 39,820 
			 South Yorkshire ITA 48,745 
			 Tyne and Wear ITA 85,138 
			 West Midlands ITA 37,584 
			 West Yorkshire ITA 94,130 
		
	
	While some of the variation in the tables above will be due to the differing geographical sizes and transport needs of areas, funding for local major schemes, including PFI projects, has a large effect.
	Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government's formula grant.
	The Department spends funds on the strategic road network through the Highways Agency (HA). The HA's reporting systems do not record actual expenditure for local authority areas; expenditure is recorded by project and activity.
	Likewise, funding for other transport projects in England, such as rail projects, and spend by other executive agencies of the Department for Transport is not available on the basis of local authority boundaries.

Electric Vehicles

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions she has had on the future of electric cars.

Norman Baker: Ministers and officials routinely discuss ultra low emission vehicles, including electric cars and meet key stakeholders including automotive manufacturers, charging infrastructure suppliers, power supply companies, other interested organisations and relevant Government Departments to inform these discussions.

First Capital Connect: Snow and Ice

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings Ministers in her Department have had with First Capital Connect on preparations for winter weather.

Norman Baker: Ministers have not held any recent meetings specifically with First Capital Connect on preparations for winter weather. However, I have discussed winter preparations with the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) representatives on a number of occasions since the summer.

Members: Correspondence

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to respond to the letter of 6 October 2011 from the hon. Member for South Northamptonshire.

Michael Penning: I replied to my hon. Friend today.

Motor Vehicles: Lights

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in how many accidents have poorly adjusted headlamps of oncoming vehicles been a contributory factor in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: The requested information is not collected by the Department. However, Table 1 shows the number of reported personal injury road accidents in Great Britain which had (i) “defective lights or indicators” or (ii) “dazzling headlights” recorded as a contributory factor, over the period 2006 to 2010. It is not possible to identify whether poorly adjusted headlamps of oncoming vehicles contributed to these accidents.
	Please note that contributory factors are reported only for injury road accidents where a police officer attended the scene and reported at least one contributory factor. These factors are largely subjective, reflecting the attending officer’s opinion at the time of reporting. It is recognised that subsequent inquires could lead to the reporting officer changing his/her opinion.
	
		
			 Table 1: Reported personal injury road accidents (1)  by selected contributory factors, Great Britain 2006 to 2010 
			  Number of accidents (1)  with the following contributory factors attributed to the accident 
			  (i) Defective lights or indicators (ii) Dazzling headlights 
			 2006 256 483 
			 2007 226 417 
			 2008 208 415 
			 2009 182 365 
			 2010 174 300 
			 (1 )Includes only accidents where a police officer attended the scene and in which a contributory factor was reported

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse was of issuing V5C vehicle registration certificates to all owners of cars; and if she will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The new style V5C vehicle registration certificate has been issued since August 2010 to keepers of newly registered vehicles and to those keepers making changes to a vehicle’s registration details. These documents would have been issued in the normal course of business and represent no extra cost.
	Since October 2011, the document has also been issued for vehicles which do not already have one, when they are re-licensed or declared to be off-road. This accelerated production is expected to cover the entire national vehicle fleet within 12 months and is estimated to cost around £6 million to complete. The DVLA is taking action to recover these costs from a third party.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on (a) reducing the risk of theft of and (b) its procedures for safe disposal of defective blank V5C vehicle registration certificates.

Michael Penning: Since the theft of V5C vehicle registration certificates from a supplier or one of their subcontractors was identified in early 2007, discussions have taken place with the ministerial team on action to reduce the impact of the crime and changes have been made.
	Processes around the destruction of defective blank V5C vehicle registration certificates have been tightened. Significant investment has been made at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to ensure all waste, spoiled or defective documents are destroyed securely on site. Also, tougher contract terms have been introduced for suppliers and more stringent audit controls surround the handling of V5C vehicle registration certificates have been put in to place.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what statutory provisions govern the time allowed to a car driver to decide whether a pay and display car parking fee is reasonable before becoming liable to pay; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what statutory provisions govern the amount of time a car may be in a pay and display car park before a car parking fee becomes payable; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: There is no legislation governing these specific aspects of local authority car parks. It is entirely for the car park owner to set the terms and conditions for parking on their land.

Railways: Bicester

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the potential for greater use of Ministry of Defence rail infrastructure in and around Bicester consequent upon the re-opening of the east-west rail link from Oxford to Milton Keynes.

Theresa Villiers: Department for Transport officials have worked with Defence officials to ensure they are aware of the potential effect of East West Rail on the value and use of Defence land at Bicester. This includes possible re-use of the MoD railway and freight infrastructure for commercial purposes.

Railways: Bicester

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what planning process she expects to be followed in respect of the route and construction of the re-opening of the east-west rail link between Oxford and Milton Keynes.

Theresa Villiers: The East West Rail consortium has proposed that full use is made of the permitted development rights of the railway, combining these with existing local authority planning processes to expedite construction and reopening.

Railways: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2011, Official Report, column 891W, on railways: private sector and with reference to page 104 of the Office of Rail Regulation's (ORR) National Rail Trends Yearbook: 2010-11, whether she has requested from the ORR a list of the total investment in the railway industry received from each (a) train operating company, (b) rolling stock company, (c) freight company and (d) Network Rail in each year from 2006-07 to date; and if she will place this information in the Library. [R]

Theresa Villiers: The Department has not requested this information from ORR. With regard to investment in rolling stock, I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, columns 1020-21W. Network Rail publishes details of its investment annually in its Delivery Plans. These are available on Network Rail's website.

Roads: Accidents

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries have occurred on roads in Pendle constituency in the last 12 months.

Michael Penning: In the 2010 calendar year (the latest period for which information is available), one person was killed and 34 were seriously injured in reported road accidents in the Pendle parliamentary constituency.

Roads: Accidents

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the number of staged car accidents in the latest period for which figures are available; and what estimate has been made of the effects of such accidents on (a) car insurance premiums and (b) other costs to motorists.

Michael Penning: The Department has made no estimate of the number of staged car accidents, or the effect of such accidents on motor insurance premiums and other costs to motorists.
	Detecting such incidents is largely for the insurance industry who set up the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) to detect and prevent organised fraud. The industry has also agreed to fund a specialist insurance fraud police unit due to go live by January 2012.

Roads: Manholes

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to improve the standard of grip for (a) two wheeled vehicles on manholes and (b) inspection covers on roads in England.

Norman Baker: The majority of manhole and inspection covers placed on the highway network are the responsibility of utility companies, with a small percentage under the ownership of local highway authorities, and so are not the responsibility of the Department for Transport.
	However, the Department has been working with the Institute of Highways and Incorporated Engineers (IHIE) to develop Guidelines for Motorcycling. Section 6.3.16 of the guide encourages designers and maintenance engineers to ensure that covers should not be positioned in the carriageway so as to impose a hazard to motorcyclists. The guide may be viewed on the IHIE website at:
	www.motorcyclingguidelines.org.uk
	In addition, the British and European Standard (prEN124) on “gully tops and manhole tops for vehicular and pedestrian areas” has been going through revision. One of the areas being considered as part of this work is the in-service skid slip resistance of the covers. Consideration is also being given to an enhanced skid slip resistance value to improve consistency between the road surface and service covers placed in the highway.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the cooling time for bituminous paving materials used on roads for the purposes of determining reasonable times for such works to be carried out.

Michael Penning: There are a number of controlling factors for determining reasonable times for works to be carried out and the associated cooling times for modern bituminous paving materials. The principal ones are the material type, the weather conditions (air temperature and wind speed) and the thickness that the material is to be laid at.
	On behalf of my Department, the Highways Agency has carried out extensive research in this field over many years. The Highways Agency's Specification for Highways Works
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/ha/standards/mchw/vol1/index.htm
	incorporates the outcomes from the research, taking account of the modern bituminous materials used for pavement construction on the strategic road network. Research is ongoing into bituminous paving materials that can be laid at lower temperatures. As these materials are mixed and laid at lower temperatures, they can be compacted and opened to traffic more quickly than conventional bituminous materials. The research will determine whether these materials are suitable for the heavy traffic using the strategic road network.

Steria

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts her Department has awarded to Steria since May 2010; and what the (a) purpose, (b) monetary value and (c) net worth was of each contract.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has not awarded any contracts to Steria since May 2010.

Tottenham Hale-Brimsdown Railway Line

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she has made an assessment of the need for a third rail track between Tottenham Hale and Brimsdown on the line between London Liverpool Street Station and Cambridge.

Theresa Villiers: The Government have not made an assessment of whether a third rail track is needed between Tottenham Hale and Brimsdown on the line between London Liverpool Street station and Cambridge. In its London and South East Route Utilisation Strategy, Network Rail assessed a number of infrastructure options on this line—including a third track between Lea Bridge and Brimsdown—and has now proposed an alternative intervention at Brimsdown in its initial industry plan. The Government will set out their requirements for the railway for the five year period from 2014 to 2019 in the High Level Output Specification, to be published in July 2012.

JUSTICE

Free Schools: Planning Permission

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1042W, on free schools: planning permission, whether 
	(1)  his Department would return any capital receipts received from the sale of (a) Balham youth court, (b) Haringey magistrates court, (c) Mid-Sussex magistrates court and (d) Sutton Coldfield magistrates court;
	(2)  (a) Balham youth court, (b) Haringey magistrates court, (c) Mid-Sussex magistrates court and (d) Sutton Coldfield magistrates court are being offered for sale at market value.

Jonathan Djanogly: These courts will be sold at market value and the capital receipts retained by the Ministry of Justice to delivery justice services.

Alternatives to Prison: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the provision of alternatives to custody for women offenders; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has provided funding to help sustain a network of women-only community provision and has given a commitment to services with a proven track record of tackling offending behaviour among women from 2012-13. NOMS also makes available accommodation to defendants, who would otherwise be remanded in custody, through the Bail Accommodation and Support Service. Finally, we are working with the Department of Health to ensure that offenders with mental health problems receive treatment in the most appropriate and secure setting necessary.

Bail

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were bailed from the courts in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The total number of defendants remanded on bail at all courts in England and Wales from 2006 to 2010 can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			 Defendants remanded on bail at magistrates courts (1)  or the Crown court, 2006-10 (2) , England and Wales 
			 Defendants (thousand) 
			  Defendants bailed by magistrates courts (1,3) Defendants bailed by the Crown court (1,3) Defen dants bailed by either court (1,3) 
			 2006 500.7 61.6 562.3 
			 2007 420.7 64.6 485.2 
		
	
	
		
			 2008 478.6 66.5 545.1 
			 2009 597.0 72.8 669.8 
			 2010 587.0 82.4 669.4 
			 (1) Includes those also held in custody at some stage and those failing to appear to bail. (2 )Magistrates courts data for 2010 are estimated. (3) Excludes defendants reported as failing to appear to a summons although some of these cases, having been initiated by a summons may have resulted in the defendant being remanded on bail. Note: Some figures may not sum due to rounding. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Birmingham: Grants

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expenditure his Department plans to incur by way of (a) ring-fenced and (b) non ring-fenced grants in Birmingham in each of the next three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Department’s planned expenditure by way of grants to organisations in Birmingham for 2012-13 and 2013-14 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2012-13 2013-14 
			 Ring-fenced 76,555 79,949 
			 Non ring-fenced 60,000 60,000 
			 Total 136,555 139,949 
		
	
	Decisions have not yet been taken on grant funding allocations for 2014-15.
	In addition to providing grants to organisations based in Birmingham, the Department also provides grants to some national organisations, which are not specific to Birmingham.
	The figures above relate to the core Department. The Youth Justice Board (YJB), an Executive non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Justice, will be providing a grant to the Birmingham youth offending team in each of the next three years. The size of these grants has yet to be determined.
	YJB grants are not officially termed as a ring-fenced, but in the context of their narrow statutory powers, such grants are only to be spent on matters relating to youth justice.

Birmingham: Grants

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assets his Department owns in Birmingham; and what is the estimated value of each such asset.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice owns 14 freehold properties in Birmingham. We do not hold up-to-date data on the market value of all properties. Gathering this information would require a survey of the properties.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards;
	(2)  what steps the food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Crispin Blunt: Currently, the means for each prison to calculate the calorific value of their individual menus is not available. To do this in all cases would require a full evaluation and is likely to require major capital investment at a time when public spending is under severe constraint. While MOJ are looking at aspects of menu provision including identifying calorific values for certain recipes, there are currently no plans to include such information on daily menus.
	NOMS sets out the specification for catering in the prison service Instruction 44/2010 which contains a set of minimum standards for prisons to implement. Prison catering managers publish in advance pre-select menus covering between three and five weeks which are rotated over several months.
	Food for prisons is purchased and delivered through mandated suppliers who have to comply with Food Labelling Regulations 1996. The voluntary inclusion of country of origin is not a requirement for all foods. Suppliers will procure food from several different countries based on price and availability. Prisons will often not know the country of origin of some products until the day of delivery prohibiting this detail from being included on previously published menus.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice set out its strategic approach to competition in the Offender Services Competition Strategy(1). This included defining a clear set of principles. These comprise:
	competition activity should be focused on achieving mid to long-term savings, not finding the cheapest solution at the expense of quality;
	competition should be used to deliver public sector reforms, ensuring providers are more effectively held to account for the outcomes they deliver;
	providers should be involved early to identify where efficiencies could be realised in national or process-based functions through competition;
	small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) should be encouraged to participate to drive innovation; and
	competition should be widely applied, with public sector providers allowed to bid where we are competing localised services and robustly held to account where successful.
	(1) http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/moj/oscs.htm

Risk Assessment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what risk registers are held by the public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Each of the Ministry’s public bodies is responsible for assessing which risks they are responsible for, and for putting in place the appropriate processes to monitor and manage those risks.
	For many of the MOJ’s public bodies, the Department will monitor and manage the risks (for example, when a public body is located within a MOJ building the MOJ corporate centre will have responsibility for any accommodation risks).
	Risk registers are held by the following MOJ public bodies:
	Arms Length Body
	Judicial Office of England and Wales
	Civil Justice Council
	Family Justice Council
	Office for Judicial Complaints
	HM Chief Inspectorate of Prisons
	HM Chief Inspectorate of Probation
	Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
	Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman (JACO)
	Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC)
	Office of Public Guardian
	Law Commission
	Legal Services Board (LSB)
	Office for Legal Complaints (OLC)
	Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
	Sentencing Council for England and Wales
	Youth Justice Board for England and Wales (YJB)
	Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC)
	Administrative Justice and Tribunal Council (AJTC)
	Court Funds Office (CFO)
	Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)
	Official Solicitor and Public Trustee (OSPT)
	Parole Board
	HMCTS
	NOMS
	Legal Services Commission

Members: Correspondence

Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Croydon North of 19 July 2011 concerning the circumstances leading to the death of the right hon. Member’s constituent, Umesh Chaudhary.

Kenneth Clarke: I have now replied. I am very sorry for the delay.

Offender Assessment System

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his planned review and redesign of the Asset structured assessment tool, whether he has any plans to similarly update the Offender Assessment System.

Crispin Blunt: The Offender Assessment System (OASys) is periodically updated to ensure that it provides a reliable and valid assessment tool based on the latest research evidence.

Offender Assessment System

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Offender Assessment System includes a section to identify speech, language or communication needs in adult offenders.

Crispin Blunt: The Offender Assessment System (OASys) does record whether the offender has required the use of an interpreter, what language the offender speaks and whether the offender has communication needs. The offender can also record any such needs within the OASys Self Assessment Questionnaire.

Police Cautions

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what provision he has made for public scrutiny of the practice of conditional cautioning.

Crispin Blunt: We are considering how transparency of out of court disposals could be improved in developing a clearer framework for their use. We will work with partners across the criminal justice system to widen access to information and education for the public and practitioners to increase the awareness and understanding of conditional cautions. This will help the public to have greater confidence that conditional cautions and other informal and formal disposals are being utilised effectively and appropriately.

Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost per year is of accommodating a prisoner serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection.

Crispin Blunt: The average annual overall cost per prisoner in England and Wales for financial year 2010-11 is £37,000 (to nearest £1,000). The cost of a prisoner serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP) is not separately calculated.
	Average prisoner costs are calculated for each prison establishment and grouped by prison function on the basis of the major use of each prison. The calculations do not analyse costs by type of sentence or prisoner, and as a prisoner serving an indeterminate sentence may be held in prison establishments of different functions during the course of the sentence, an average cost for a prisoner serving an IPP is not available.
	The calculation for cost per prisoner is based on net resource expenditure related to prisons included in the annual accounts of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) expressed in terms of the average prison population. This includes some estimation. Expenditure which is met by other Government Departments, such as expenditure on health and education, is not included. Expenditure recharged to the Youth Justice Board in respect of young people is included.
	Indeterminate sentence prisoners may be held in any prison providing it is appropriate to the security category of the prisoner and is best placed to meet the next identified need in the sentence plan.
	Full details of average cost per prisoner by prison function for financial year 2010-11 can be accessed from the Ministry of Justice website under Management Information Addendum at the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/noms/annual-report-accounts-2010-11.htm

Prisons: Energy Efficiency

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisons have installed energy efficiency measures since May 2010.

Crispin Blunt: Since May 2010 all public sector prisons have been part of a Carbon Trust carbon management programme (CMP). This has resulted in 51 sites installing energy saving technology directly, with a further five sites having replacement equipment under the major maintenance programme.

Prisons: Energy Efficiency

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will estimate the average annual heating and lighting costs in prisons if all prisons reached Energy Performance Certificate grade (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, (f) F and (g) G level.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice is unable to provide the average annual heating and lighting costs in prisons if all prisons reached Energy Performance Certificate grade (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, (f) F and (g) G level as the information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Energy Efficiency

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average Energy Performance Certificate rating is of the prison estate.

Crispin Blunt: The average Energy Performance Certificate rating of the prison estate is based on Display Energy Certificates (DEC) assessments of energy use in occupied buildings.
	The average DEC rating of the prison estate is 90.08 (sample size 131 sites).

Prosecutions: Fireworks

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) fixed penalties were issued and (b) prosecutions were brought relating to the misuse of fireworks in (i) St Helens South and Whiston constituency, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: Data on the number of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued in the Merseyside police force area and England for offences related to the misuse of fireworks and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for throwing fireworks, in each year between 2006 and 2010 (latest currently available), can be viewed in the table. These data are not available at constituency level.
	Court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring of 2012.
	
		
			 Defendants given penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) for offences related to fireworks and defendants (1)  proceeded against at magistrates courts for throwing fireworks (2) , in the Merseyside police force area and England, in each year between 2006 - 10 
			 Area/offence 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Merseyside      
			 PNDs issued:      
			 Breach of fireworks curfew(3) 1 1 — — — 
			 Possession of category 4 firework(3) 3 2 2 1 — 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework(3) 10 5 6 7 7 
			 Throwing fireworks 27 20 19 28 26 
			 Proceedings at magistrates courts:      
			 Throwing fireworks 1 — 2 1 1 
			       
			 England      
			 PNDs issued:      
			 Breach of fireworks curfew(3) 51 37 19 13 23 
			 Possession of category 4 firework(3) 25 22 23 56 22 
			 Possession by a person under 18 of adult firework(3) 73 101 63 58 60 
			 Throwing fireworks 639 607 500 317 330 
			 Proceedings at magistrates courts:      
			 Throwing fireworks 32 28 28 18 25 
			 (1 )The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Explosives Act 1875, section 80: Throwing, casting or firing any fireworks in or into any highway, street, public place etc. (3) Fireworks Regulations 2004 under section 11 of the Fireworks Act 2003. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services within the Ministry of Justice.

Reoffenders

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of suspended sentences which have been breached by offenders in (a) Leicestershire, (b) the East Midlands region and (c) England in the last 12 months.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on breaches of suspended sentence orders (SSOs) by individual offenders is recorded by probation trusts on their case management systems. It is used in the day-to-day management of offenders, including as a trigger to appropriate action in response to breach, for example through formal warnings or enforcement action, but data on the total number of breaches do not form part of trusts' routine reporting.
	However, data are available on the reasons for termination of SSOs. These reasons include successful completion of the order as well as early termination for failure to comply with requirements or for conviction of a further offence.
	The numbers of successful and unsuccessful completions of SSOs for 2010-11 for (a) Leicestershire and Rutland Probation Trust, (b) the East Midlands region and (c) for England are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Suspended sentence orders, 2010-11 
			  Successful terminations  (number) Unsuccessful terminations  (number) Total successful and unsuccessful terminations  (number) Percentage of unsuccessful terminations 
			 (a) Leicestershire and Rutland 551 273 824 33.1 
			 (b) East Midlands 2,368 1,150 3,518 32.7 
			 (c) England 29,037 11,450 40,487 28.3 
		
	
	The figures are a sub-set of the figures used to calculate the rate of successful completion of orders and licences published in the NOMS Annual Report 2010-11: Management Information Addendum:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/statistics-and-data/hmps/noms-annual-report-2010-11-addendum.pdf
	It should be noted that the figures in the column for total successful and unsuccessful completions do not constitute all SSOs which terminated during the period. There are in addition a number which terminate for other reasons, such as a conditional discharge or the death of the offender, which are treated as ‘neutral’ for the purposes of the NOMS indicator and therefore excluded from the calculation.
	The figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Not all breaches of SSOs will result in early termination. In line with National Standards for the Management of Offenders 2011 and the accompanying draft Practice Framework an offender who fails to comply with the terms of his or her supervision on a community order or suspended sentence order may be given one formal warning in any 12-month period on an order before breach action becomes required.

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much direct funding his Department has allocated to each civil society organisation in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice funds a large number of organisations that provide a wide range of services, such as the provision of support for victims of crime, mediation services, work to reduce crime and debt advice. To determine which of those are civil society organisations and how much is specifically paid or allocated to each of them over this five-year period could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Victims: Commissioner

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to appoint a new Victims Commissioner.

Crispin Blunt: We are considering the future of the role and intend to make an announcement shortly. We regard it as important that the voice of victims is heard by policy makers across the criminal justice system.

Young Offenders Institutions

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours on average young offenders aged (a) under 18-years-old and (b) between 18 and 20 years spent out of cells on (i) weekdays and (ii) weekends at each Young Offenders Institution in each month since April 2005.

Crispin Blunt: Data for time out of cell on weekdays are collated by overall prison establishment and are not disaggregated for different prisoner age groups in individual establishments. Data are no longer collated for time out of cell on weekends but are available for the period April 2005 to March 2008.
	Figures for time out of cell for each young offender institute (aged 18 to 20) and each young offender institute holding young persons (aged under 18) for each month since April 2005 are set out in a table for weekdays and weekends where available. The table has been deposited in the Library.
	The figures used in the answer have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Young Offenders: Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Youth Justice Board paid, including VAT per person for a place in (a) a secure children's home, (b) a secure training centre, (c) a publicly-run young offenders' institution and (d) a privately-run young offenders institution in the latest year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The average prices, including VAT where charged, paid by the Youth Justice Board per child or young person placed in a secure children's home, secure training centre or a publicly run young offender institution as of 1 April 2011 are set out in the following table. For reasons of commercial sensitivity I am not able to provide information in respect of privately run young offender institutions. As not all types of youth secure accommodation attract a charge for VAT, the figures do not reflect the price of the services delivered on a like for like basis.
	
		
			 Type of youth secure accommodation Average cost per place per year as of 1 April 2011 (£) (1) 
			 Secure children's home 211,000 
			 Secure training centre 203,000 
			 Public young offender institution 55,000 
			 Notes: 1. Secure children's homes—these services do not attract VAT. 2. Secure training centres—these services do attract VAT. 3. Publicly-run young offender institutions do not attract VAT. 4. Privately-run young offender institutions do attract VAT. 5. These are costs to the YJB as at 1 April 2011. They are not intended to represent the total cost of providing custody and related services to young people. For example, they do not include YJB funding to NOMS Prisoner Escort Management (PEM) for the provision of Prison Escort and Custodial Services (PECS) for young people. 6. For court ordered secure remand places (in the STC and SCH sectors) the YJB recovers one third of the costs from the home local authorities. (1) Including VAT where charged. To the nearest £1,000.

Youth Custody: Enfield

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders aged 18 to 20 from the London borough of Enfield have been held in (a) young offender institutions, (b) local prisons, (c) women's prisons and (d) other parts of the secure estate in each month since May 2009.

Crispin Blunt: All young offenders serving sentences of DYOI are held in appropriately designated YOI accommodation within the prison estate. The majority of this accommodation is in dedicated YOIs, although some establishments in the estate have a dual designation (designated both as a prison and a YOI) and hold both adult prisoners and young offenders.
	The following table shows the number of remand or convicted unsentenced and convicted and sentenced male and female prisoners aged 18 to 20-years-old with a recorded residential address or proxy in the London borough of Enfield who were held in predominant function male young offender institutions, predominant function male local prisons, all female prisons and the rest of the male estate on a set day in each month where data are available since May 2009.
	
		
			 Number and location of male and female young adult offenders (aged 18 to 20) originating from London borough of Enfield 
			  2009 2010 2011 
			 Location May September November January March May Jul y September 
			 (a) Male young offender institutions 51 34 27 29 30 24 23 36 
			 (b) Male local prisons 7 7 <5 <5 <5 5 <5 <5 
			 (c) Female prisons <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 <5 
			 (d) Rest of the male estate <5 <5 <5 5 5 5 8 6 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	Information on a prisoner's residence is provided by prisoners on reception into prison and recorded on a central IT system. Addresses can include a prisoner's home address, an address to which they intend to return on discharge or next of kin address and these figures are provided in the above table.
	If no address is given, a prisoner's committal court address is used as a proxy for the area in which a prisoner is resident. These figures are also included in the table above. No address has been recorded and no court information is available for around 3% of all prisoners, these figures are excluded from the table.

EDUCATION

Academies

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) academies and (b) free schools there are in each local authority in England.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 5 December 2011
	As of 1 December there are now 24 free schools and 1,463 open academies of which 319 are sponsored and 1,144 are converters. Details of how many are in each local authority as at 1 November are included in the following table.
	Full details of schools that have formally applied for academy status, as well as a list of academies that have opened, can be found on the DFE academies website at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/a0069811/schools-submitting-applications-and-academies-that-have-opened-in-201011
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of open academies, by academy type and local authority (1)  November 2011, England 
			 Local authority Academy converters Sponsored academies Free schools Total 
			 Barking and Dagenham 0 0 0 0 
			 Barnet 12 2 1 15 
			 Barnsley 0 1 0 1 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 9 0 0 9 
			 Bedford 9 1 0 10 
			 Bexley 10 5 0 15 
			 Birmingham 17 7 1 25 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 1 1 0 2 
			 Blackpool 1 0 0 1 
			 Bolton 2 3 0 5 
			 Bournemouth 3 2 0 5 
			 Bracknell Forest 1 0 0 1 
			 Bradford 2 5 2 9 
			 Brent 1 4 0 5 
			 Brighton and Hove 0 2 0 2 
			 Bristol City of 6 9 1 16 
			 Bromley 24 1 0 25 
			 Buckinghamshire 21 2 0 23 
			 Bury 1 0 0 1 
			 Calderdale 14 1 0 15 
			 Cambridgeshire 27 0 0 27 
			 Camden 0 0 1 1 
			 Central Bedfordshire 16 1 0 17 
			 Cheshire East 7 1 1 9 
			 Cheshire West and Chester 3 2 0 5 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 
			 Cornwall 38 1 0 39 
			 Coventry 6 2 0 8 
			 Croydon 6 7 0 13 
			 Cumbria 19 4 0 23 
			 Darlington 10 1 0 11 
			 Derby 3 1 0 4 
			 Derbyshire 10 2 0 12 
			 Devon 42 1 0 43 
			 Doncaster 8 5 0 13 
			 Dorset 3 0 0 3 
			 Dudley 2 0 0 2 
			 Durham 6 1 0 7 
			 Ealing 3 1 0 4 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 7 0 0 7 
			 East Sussex 1 3 0 4 
			 Enfield 3 4 1 8 
			 Essex 58 8 0 66 
			 Gateshead 1 0 0 1 
			 Gloucestershire 41 2 0 43 
			 Greenwich 1 1 0 2 
			 Hackney 1 5 0 6 
			 Halton 2 1 0 3 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1 2 2 5 
			 Hampshire 21 2 0 23 
			 Haringey 1 1 1 3 
			 Harrow 7 0 0 7 
			 Hartlepool 0 0 0 0 
			 Havering 10 1 0 11 
		
	
	
		
			 Herefordshire 12 2 0 14 
			 Hertfordshire 31 2 0 33 
			 Hillingdon 11 2 0 13 
			 Hounslow 4 0 0 4 
			 Isle of Wight 0 2 0 2 
			 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 
			 Islington 2 2 0 4 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 1 0 1 
			 Kent 50 17 0 67 
			 Kingston upon Hull City of 0 2 0 2 
			 Kingston upon Thames 4 0 0 4 
			 Kirklees 7 0 1 8 
			 Knowsley 0 0 0 0 
			 Lambeth 5 2 0 7 
			 Lancashire 15 2 1 18 
			 Leeds 5 4 0 9 
			 Leicester 0 1 1 2 
			 Leicestershire 9 0 0 9 
			 Lewisham 1 3 0 4 
			 Lincolnshire 31 8 0 39 
			 Liverpool 1 5 0 6 
			 Luton 2 3 1 6 
			 Manchester 2 9 0 11 
			 Medway 10 4 0 14 
			 Merton 0 2 0 2 
			 Middlesbrough 0 3 0 3 
			 Milton Keynes 10 1 0 11 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 2 1 0 3 
			 Newham 2 0 0 2 
			 Norfolk 9 6 1 16 
			 North East Lincolnshire 9 4 0 13 
			 North Lincolnshire 2 1 0 3 
			 North Somerset 4 1 0 5 
			 North Tyneside 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 8 0 0 8 
			 Northamptonshire 13 6 0 19 
			 Northumberland 2 2 0 4 
			 Nottingham 9 5 0 14 
			 Nottinghamshire 14 4 0 18 
			 Oldham 4 3 0 7 
			 Oxfordshire 2 3 0 5 
			 Peterborough 3 4 0 7 
			 Plymouth 10 2 0 12 
			 Poole 4 1 0 5 
			 Portsmouth 0 1 0 1 
			 Reading 6 1 1 8 
			 Redbridge 3 0 1 4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0 1 0 1 
			 Richmond upon Thames 0 3 0 3 
			 Rochdale 1 1 0 2 
			 Rotherham 3 1 0 4 
			 Rutland 4 0 0 4 
			 Salford 2 2 0 4 
			 Sandwell 1 6 0 7 
			 Sefton 7 0 0 7 
			 Sheffield 1 3 0 4 
			 Shropshire 2 0 0 2 
		
	
	
		
			 Slough 5 1 1 7 
			 Solihull 8 4 0 12 
			 Somerset 29 1 0 30 
			 South Gloucestershire 0 4 0 4 
			 South Tyneside 1 0 0 1 
			 Southampton 3 2 0 5 
			 Southend-on-Sea 8 0 0 8 
			 Southwark 5 9 0 14 
			 St. Helens 0 2 0 2 
			 Staffordshire 10 6 0 16 
			 Stockport 1 1 0 2 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 0 2 0 2 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 2 5 0 7 
			 Suffolk 19 3 1 23 
			 Sunderland 4 3 0 7 
			 Surrey 17 0 0 17 
			 Sutton 14 0 0 14 
			 Swindon 16 1 0 17 
			 Tameside 3 2 0 5 
			 Telford and Wrekin 3 2 0 5 
			 Thurrock 6 2 0 8 
			 Torbay 8 0 0 8 
			 Tower Hamlets 0 0 1 1 
			 Trafford 8 0 0 8 
			 Wakefield 10 1 0 11 
			 Walsall 6 3 0 9 
			 Waltham Forest 4 1 0 5 
			 Wandsworth 3 1 0 4 
			 Warrington 0 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 12 2 1 15 
			 West Berkshire 3 0 0 3 
			 West Sussex 5 5 1 11 
			 Westminster 2 4 1 7 
			 Wigan 1 0 0 1 
			 Wiltshire 18 2 0 20 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1 0 0 1 
			 Wirral 6 2 0 8 
			 Wokingham 3 0 0 3 
			 Wolverhampton 0 2 0 2 
			 Worcestershire 17 1 0 18 
			 York 2 0 0 2 
			 Total 1,100 319 24 1,443 
			 (1) School numbers include special academies. Source: Edubase, November 2011

Academies: School Meals

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the results of research commissioned from the School Food Trust on nutritional standards in academies.

Nick Gibb: Results of the work commissioned from the School Food Trust are expected to be published in spring 2012.

Education: Rural Areas

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to providing additional grants to rural areas for the purposes of access to educational services.

Nick Gibb: Our recent consultation on reforming the school funding system looked carefully at how rural schools should be supported. The Department for Education is considering responses to the consultation and discussing options with interested parties, including those who represent rural areas, before we decide how to proceed. We aim to consult on more detailed proposals in the spring.

Free Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the selection (a) criteria and (b) process were for the recent grant awarded by his Department for free school pre-application support.

Nick Gibb: The selection criteria and process were described in the public guidance for applicants for the grant. This has been placed in the House Libraries.

GCSE: North-west England

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of (a) looked after children and (b) other children gained five GCSEs or equivalent at grades A* to C in each of the last five years for (i) the borough of Wirral and (ii) the North West region; and how many of those included GCSEs or equivalent in English and mathematics.

Tim Loughton: This information will be published shortly. I will write to the hon. Member in due course and place a copy of the letter in the House Libraries.

New Schools Network

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what agreement the New Schools Network concluded with the Appointments Commission to enable it to recruit for staff to launch free schools.

Nick Gibb: Consistent with similar grant agreements, the Department for Education did not require New Schools Network (NSN) to agree staff appointments with the Appointments Commission. NSN's staff do not launch free schools; they advise and support groups who are seeking to establish free schools.

Pupil Exclusions

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in each secondary school year group were permanently excluded from (a) academies, (b) free schools and (c) other schools in (i) the 2011-12 academic year to date and (ii) each of the previous three academic years.

Nick Gibb: Information on the number of permanent exclusions in academies and other state-funded secondary schools from 2007/08 to 2009/10 is shown in the table. Information for 2010/11 and 2011/12 has not yet been collected, and as a result there is no available information on free schools.
	
		
			 Academies and other sta te-funded secondary schools (1,2) — Number and percentage of permanent exclusions by secondary school national curriculum year group (3,4) , England, 2007/08  to  2009/10 
			  2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 
			  Academies Other state-funded secondary schools (1,2) Academies Other state-funded secondary schools (1,2) Academies Other state-funded secondary schools (1,2) 
			 National c urriculum  y ear  g roup No % No % No % No % No % No % 
			 7 20 0.17 540 0.10 30 0.15 400 0.07 70 0.20 320 0.06 
			 8 70 0.55 1,130 0.20 80 0.36 930 0.17 130 0.39 770 0.14 
			 9 90 0.74 1,880 0.33 110 0.54 1,450 0.27 160 0.49 1,210 0.23 
			 10 80 0.60 2,040 0.36 90 0.46 1,710 0.31 150 0.48 1,460 0.28 
			 11 40 0.32 880 0.15 50 0.23 610 0.11 70 0.22 580 0.11 
			 12 (6)— (6)— 20 0.01 (6)— (6)— 20 0.01 10 0.05 30 0.01 
			 13 0 0.00 (6)— (6)— 0 0.00 (6)— (6)— 0 0.00 10 0.01 
			 14 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 (6)— (6)— 0 0.00 0 0.00 
			 Total(7) 310 0.42 6,690 0.21 370 0.31 5,330 0.17 590 0.30 4,430 0.14 
			 No of schools 83 (8)— 3,300 (8)— 133 (8)— 3,228 (8)— 203 (8)— 3,130 (8)— 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges. (3) Figures relating to permanent exclusions are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. (4) Secondary school National Curriculum Year Groups are classed as years 7 and above. (5 )The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of all pupils in academies and other state-funded secondary schools by National Curriculum Year Group as at January each year. (6) Less than 5 exclusions or a percentage based on less than 5 exclusions. (7) Total includes some permanent exclusions where National Curriculum Year Group is below year 7 or not known. (8 )Not applicable. Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census.

Pupil Premium

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of his Department's budget for the pupil premium has been spent on students in Pendle constituency since April 2011.

Nick Gibb: Schools in the Pendle constituency have been allocated £1.096 million for the pupil premium in 2011-12. This is equivalent to 0.176% of the £625 million budget for the pupil premium in 2011-2012. To date, £483,115 has been paid to Lancashire county council for schools in Pendle. The remaining £612,885 will be paid in two instalments in December 2011 and March 2012.

School Meals

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to ensure healthy school meal standards.

Sarah Teather: New standards for school food in maintained schools were introduced, through legislation, in 2007. The regulations set out a combination of food-based and nutrient-based standards.
	Governing bodies of maintained schools and local authorities are legally responsible for meeting the school food standards. If they do not, any person may complain, through the normal local routes and ultimately to the Secretary of State, who can then issue a direction to the school if necessary.
	Parents play an important role in monitoring the quality of food at their children's school. We expect maintained schools, as a minimum, to have arrangements in place to meet the standards. The School Food Trust will be able to offer help and share examples of good practice.

School Standards

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to seek to ensure that schools which did not meet the Government's GCSE targets in 2011 do so in future years.

Nick Gibb: Sponsored academies are seen as the central solution for dealing with serious, long-term underperformance in all schools.
	When the 2011 secondary school performance tables containing data fully checked and agreed by schools are published in January, we will be looking at those schools that fall below the floor standard and, working with the school and their LA, we will seek to achieve the best possible solution to improve their performance. In most cases that solution will be to secure an academy sponsor to provide the necessary support and challenge for the school.

Students: Finance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many learners aged 19 years at the start of their course claimed Care to Learn in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011 to date;
	(2)  what the total expenditure was on learners claiming Care to Learn who were aged 19 years at the start of their course in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011 to date; and what the average expenditure per individual claimant was in each year.

Nick Gibb: These are matters for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the Care to Learn scheme for the Department for Education. Peter Lauener, the YPLA's chief executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Students: Finance

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to publish the outcome of his consultation on Care to Learn; and how many responses the consultation has received.

Nick Gibb: The DFE consultation on options for the future of the Care to Learn scheme received 329 responses. We plan to publish the full consultation response on the DFE website shortly.

Teenage Pregnancy

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teenage pregnancies there were in England in each year since 1997; and how many there were in each local authority in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Sarah Teather: England has declining teenage pregnancy rates. Between 1998 and 2009 (the latest data available), under-18 conceptions have fallen by 18.1% to the lowest rate in almost 30 years. Over the same period, 95% (142 out of 150) of local authorities have seen a decline in their under-18 conception rates. However, this varies significantly with some areas achieving reductions of over 30%.
	The England latest quarterly rates for 2010 continue to fall. Annual under-18 conception data for 2010 will be published in February 2012.
	I have set out the specific information requested on teenage pregnancies in the following tables.
	
		
			 Table A: Conceptions to girls under 18, 1997 to 2009 
			  Number of conceptions to under-18s Rate per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 17 
			 1997 40,463 45.5 
			 1998 41,089 46.6 
			 1999 39,247 44.8 
			 2000 38,699 43.6 
			 2001 38,461 42.5 
			 2002 39,350 42.7 
			 2003 39,553 42.1 
			 2004 39,593 41.6 
			 2005 39,804 41.3 
			 2006 39,170 40.6 
			 2007 40,366 41.8 
			 2008 38,783 40.5 
			 2009 35,966 38.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Table B: Conceptions to under-18s by top-tier local authority, 2009 
			  Number of conceptions to under-18s Rate per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 17 
			 Darlington UA 87 48.0 
			 Hartlepool UA 106 57.3 
			 Middlesbrough UA 174 60.4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 139 51.7 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 164 42.6 
			 County Durham UA 408 44.0 
			 Northumberland UA 195 34.9 
			 Gateshead MCD 145 42.1 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne MCD 210 47.5 
			 North Tyneside MCD 148 42.9 
		
	
	
		
			 South Tyneside MCD 161 57.8 
			 Sunderland MCD 288 52.8 
			 Blackburn with Darwen UA 121 39.3 
			 Blackpool UA 183 67.4 
			 Halton UA 140 58.9 
			 Warrington UA 155 42.2 
			 Cheshire East UA 197 29.3 
			 Cheshire West and Chester UA 201 33.3 
			 Cumbria 369 39.6 
			 Bolton MCD 251 47.9 
			 Bury MCD 137 37.6 
			 Manchester MCD 491 67.2 
			 Oldham MCD 190 42.3 
			 Rochdale MCD 200 47.7 
			 Salford MCD 221 54.1 
			 Stockport MCD 198 37.6 
			 Tameside MCD 255 60.1 
			 Trafford MCD 119 29.7 
			 Wigan MCD 304 50.2 
			 Lancashire County 893 39.4 
			 Knowsley MCD 137 41.9 
			 Liverpool MCD 369 50.1 
			 Sefton MCD 165 29.3 
			 St Helens MCD 167 45.0 
			 Wirral MCD 264 44.0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 214 34.7 
			 Kingston upon Hull UA 316 64.0 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 192 59.7 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 136 45.2 
			 York UA 83 26.6 
			 North Yorkshire County 295 25.8 
			 Barnsley MCD 230 52.5 
			 Doncaster MCD 284 51.8 
			 Rotherham MCD 233 46.6 
			 Sheffield MCD 394 42.9 
			 Bradford MCD 430 41.0 
			 Calderdale MCD 184 47.4 
			 Kirklees MCD 370 48.5 
			 Leeds MCD 618 47.4 
			 Wakefield MCD 309 49.3 
			 Derby UA 233 51.0 
			 Leicester UA 251 47.1 
			 Nottingham UA 290 61.5 
			 Rutland UA 17 13.7 
			 Derbyshire County 477 33.3 
			 Leicestershire County 323 27.6 
			 Lincolnshire 475 37.5 
			 Northamptonshire 525 40.2 
			 Nottinghamshire County 495 34.6 
			 Herefordshire, County of UA 102 31.2 
			 Stoke-on-Trent UA 258 61.1 
			 Telford and Wrekin UA 172 52.7 
			 Shropshire UA 160 28.4 
			 Staffordshire County 631 39.8 
			 Warwickshire 355 36.3 
			 Birmingham MCD 975 48.7 
			 Coventry MCD 335 59.7 
			 Dudley MCD 238 41.5 
			 Sandwell MCD 304 52.7 
			 Solihull MCD 122 28.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Walsall MCD 307 59.4 
			 Wolverhampton MCD 242 52.6 
			 Worcestershire County 351 33.6 
			 Luton UA 109 29.4 
			 Peterborough UA 171 54.5 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA 128 43.7 
			 Thurrock UA 107 37.0 
			 Bedford UA 115 39.5 
			 Central Bedfordshire UA 153 32.5 
			 Cambridgeshire County 305 28.4 
			 Essex County 814 31.4 
			 Hertfordshire 501 23.5 
			 Norfolk 532 36.7 
			 Suffolk 373 28.5 
			 Camden LB 80 28.4 
			 Hackney LB and City of London 163 48.6 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham LB 103 49.3 
			 Haringey LB 171 51.1 
			 Islington LB 117 48.6 
			 Kensington and Chelsea LB 41 21.0 
			 Lambeth LB 218 59.5 
			 Lewisham LB 235 55.6 
			 Newham LB 220 50.3 
			 Southwark LB 233 63.2 
			 Tower Hamlets LB 132 40.7 
			 Wandsworth LB 128 46.9 
			 Westminster City of LB 87 37.6 
			 Barking and Dagenham LB 196 54.3 
			 Barnet LB 142 23.0 
			 Bexley LB 171 37.3 
			 Brent LB 158 38.2 
			 Bromley LB 211 38.1 
			 Croydon LB 295 45.7 
			 Ealing LB 168 34.1 
			 Enfield LB 208 38.5 
			 Greenwich LB 206 58.6 
			 Harrow LB 87 21.8 
			 Havering LB 170 36.4 
			 Hillingdon LB 164 35.3 
			 Hounslow LB 136 37.4 
			 Kingston upon Thames LB 65 25.7 
			 Merton LB 110 37.9 
			 Redbridge LB 181 34.7 
			 Richmond upon Thames LB 56 19.6 
			 Sutton LB 119 33.3 
			 Waltham Forest LB 206 55.0 
			 Bracknell Forest UA 44 17.9 
			 Brighton and Hove UA 149 36.5 
			 Isle of Wight UA 75 30.4 
			 Medway Towns UA 227 43.0 
			 Milton Keynes UA 177 40.2 
			 Portsmouth UA 159 50.0 
			 Reading UA 107 43.8 
			 Slough UA 78 35.1 
			 Southampton UA 188 49.2 
			 West Berkshire UA 77 21.3 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead UA 32 11.4 
			 Wokingham UA 51 16.9 
			 Buckinghamshire County 234 24.2 
			 East Sussex County 332 35.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Hampshire County 687 28.9 
			 Kent County 968 34.7 
			 Oxfordshire 302 26.0 
			 Surrey 427 20.7 
			 West Sussex 412 29.1 
			 Bath and North East Somerset UA 71 22.7 
			 Bournemouth UA 105 40.4 
			 Bristol UA 310 50.6 
			 North Somerset UA 123 34.8 
			 Plymouth UA 194 44.3 
			 Poole UA 93 36.2 
			 South Gloucestershire UA 130 27.4 
			 Swindon UA 126 36.3 
			 Torbay UA 131 55.3 
			 Cornwall UA and the Isles of Scilly 292 30.5 
			 Devon County 396 29.7 
			 Dorset County 220 28.1 
			 Gloucestershire 289 25.6 
			 Somerset 314 30.0 
			 Wiltshire UA 283 29.7

CABINET OFFICE

Big Lottery Fund: Public Appointments

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what remuneration the Chair of the Big Lottery Fund is receiving; how many days a week he works for the Fund; for how long he has been appointed; and whether he has been given ministerial guidance on the performance of his duties.

Nick Hurd: The Big Lottery Fund UK Board chair is remunerated £21,600 per annum, with a time commitment of six days per month. The appointment is for a term of four years which commenced on the 1 June 2011 to 31 May 2015. The chair has been given ministerial guidance on the performance of his duties.

Charity Commission: Public Appointments

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he proposes to start recruitment for the next Chair of the Charity Commission; what recruitment process will be followed; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The current Chair of the Charity Commission's term of office is due to end in July 2012. The recruitment of a successor will begin in the new year. As a public appointment, the recruitment process will be conducted in line with the requirements of the Commissioner Public Appointments.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: Details of the Cabinet Office's internal audit work and that of the Civil Service Commission, its sponsored executive non-departmental body, are contained in their respective Statements of Internal Control. The statements are included in their annual reports and accounts 2010-11. These publications are available in the House of Commons Library and on the following websites:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/resource-accounts-2010-11.pdf
	http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/downloads/annual-report/cs-annual-report10-11.pdf

Procurement

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement for his Department in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; and what estimate he has made of the cost of (i) employing civil servants and (ii) engaging consultants to undertake procurement for his Department in 2011-12.

Francis Maude: The estimated cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 0.8 
			 2009-10 0.7 
			 2010-11 0.4 
			 2011-12 0.4 
		
	
	Consultants are only engaged to provide specialist commercial advice on particular projects where this is not available in-house, and may also be used in the procurement process itself where suitable expertise is not available in-house. The use of these consultants, regardless of value, is subject to a strict set of approval procedures, and prior approval must be sought in all cases. The work involved in researching the finance systems to identify this expenditure in past years, and in consulting all business units to analyse and forecast expenditure for 2011-12 would incur disproportionate costs.
	The total cost of consultancy is published in the Cabinet Office Annual Reports and Accounts, available in the House of Commons Library and on the Cabinet Office website:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts
	The amounts are as follows:
	
		
			 £000 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Administration 8,732 19,467 7,025 
			 Programme 10,584 8,036 2,107 
			 Total 19,316 27,503 9,132

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department spent in (a) Birmingham, (b) Newcastle, (c) Wakefield, (d) Manchester, (e) Leeds, (f) Liverpool, (g) Coventry, (h) Bristol, (i) Sheffield, (j) Bradford, (k) Leicester and (l) Nottingham in the latest financial year for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: The information is not held in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Publications

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports his Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office uses a number of channels and suppliers to publish leaflets, posters and reports such as the Central Office of Information (COI), The Stationery Office (TSO)—for the production and publication of Command and House papers—and existing internal resources such as our in-house reprographics team.
	Cabinet Office only keeps records centrally of leaflets, posters and reports that incur external costs. Information on these are detailed as follows:
	Information provided by COI:
	The Cabinet Office published seven reports through COI between May 2010 and the end of March 2011 at a total cost of £90,695. (i) Each report was published under Crown Copyright, (ii) no design costs were incurred.
	No leaflets or posters were published by COI during this period.
	Information provided by TSO:
	The Cabinet Office published one report through TSO between May 2010 and the end of March 2011 at a total cost of £640. This does not include reports published in the name of the Deputy Prime Minister detailed in his PQ answered on 30 November 2011, Official Report, column 1000W.
	No leaflets or posters were published by TSO during this period.

Unemployment: Households

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of households in each parliamentary constituency have (a) any adult and (b) all adults who have never worked.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2011
	.
	The table shows estimates for part a) and relate to the period January-December 2010. The estimates are derived from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and are not seasonally adjusted. An asterisk indicates that sample sizes are too small to provide reliable estimates for a particular parliamentary constituency. The table will be placed in the Library of the House.
	For part b) it is not possible to provide reliable estimates for parliamentary constituencies because the sample sizes are not sufficiently large enough.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results.

Government Procurement

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate the number of government contracts which have not been awarded to UK companies due to EU procurement rules in each of the last five years.

Francis Maude: UK Government contracts are awarded on the basis of value for money. Statistics from the European Commission indicate that 97% of UK Government contracts are awarded to UK-based firms.

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, columns 333-4W, on immigrants: EU nationals, what the original countries of birth were of those EU nationals who have entered the UK in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, columns 333-4W, on immigrants: EU nationals, if he will provide a breakdown of what the original countries of birth were of those EU nationals who have entered the UK in each of the last five years (86327).
	The Office for National Statistics produces estimates of long-term international migration, primarily based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS). The IPS is a continuous voluntary sample survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics.
	The answer of 22 November 2011 provided long-term immigration estimates of all EU citizens who were not born in the EU for each of the last five years. It is not possible to provide a reliable breakdown of what the individual countries of birth were of EU nationals coming to the UK for each of the last five years, due to the large standard errors associated with the estimates. A migration estimate with a standard error percentage of more than 25 per cent is not considered to be reliable.

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, columns 333-4W, on immigrants: EU nationals, how many EU nationals whose original country of origin is outside the EU have settled in the UK in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, columns 333-4W, on immigrants: EU nationals, how many EU nationals whose country of origin is outside the EU have settled in the UK in each of the last five years (86328).
	The Office for National Statistics produces estimates of long-term international migration, primarily based on the International Passenger Survey (IPS). The IPS is a continuous voluntary sample survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics. The latest figures available are for 2010 and these are shown in the following table. These latest estimates were published on 24 November 2011.
	
		
			 Long-term immigration to the UK of people who are EU citizens but whose country of last residence is not an EU state 
			  Estimate SE% 
			 2005 9,000 25 
			 2006 7,000 29 
			 2007 11,000 33 
			 2008 9,000 23 
			 2009 10,000 32 
			 2010 7,000 21 
			 Note: SE% = Standard error percentage Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS), ONS 
		
	
	Standard error percentages (SE%) indicate the robustness of each estimate. A migration figure with a standard error percentage greater than 25% is not considered to be reliable for practical purposes.

Population: Babies

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the number of children in each constituent part of the UK who are aged under one.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for an estimate of the number of children in each constituent part of the UK who are aged under one year old (86364).
	Table 1 shows the number of children aged under one year old in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for mid-2010. This is the latest year for which population estimates are available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Estimated resident population aged under one year old, mid-2010 
			 Country Thousand 
			 United Kingdom 795.2 
			   
			 England 675.4 
			 Wales 35.2 
			 Scotland 59.4 
			 Northern Ireland 25.2 
			 Sources: Office for National Statistics. National Records for Scotland. Northern Ireland Statistics Research Agency.

Public Sector: Mutual Societies

Richard Graham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of the performance of the mutuals pathfinders; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has recently reviewed the progress of the Mutual Pathfinders, and has released a “Mutual Pathfinder Progress Report”, which is available at the following link:
	http://mutuals.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/documents/mutual-pathfinder-progress-report

Public Sector: Pay

Bill Esterson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the real level of pay for staff working in the public sector in (a) Sefton and (b) the UK in each of the next five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated December 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the real level of pay for staff working in the public sector in (a) Sefton and (b) the UK in each of the next five years. (86057)
	ONS does not make estimates of earnings levels for future periods, so no estimates have been made of real levels of pay for staff working in the public sector in Sefton and the UK in each of the next five years.

Public Sector: Pensions

Steven Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to ensure that non-unionised public sector workers are represented in pension negotiations.

Francis Maude: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), and I have been jointly leading discussions with a TUC delegation, as representatives of public sector workers, since February 2011. Formal consultations, as the usual method for non-union members to comment on Government proposals, have already taken place on proposed increases to employee contributions from April 2012 in the civil service, teachers and NHS pension schemes. There were 13,834 responses from individuals.

Steria

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many contracts his Department has awarded to Steria since May 2010; and what the (a) purpose, (b) monetary value and (c) net worth was of each contract.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office has not awarded any contracts to Steria since May 2010.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department has taken to ensure that young people in the North East have access to National Citizen Service programmes.

Nick Hurd: We are committed to ensuring that as many young people as possible have access to National Citizen Service regardless of background or location. When commissioning providers for 2011 and 2012, we therefore worked to ensure a good geographical spread of National Citizen Service pilots across England. In 2011, Catch 22, Princes Trust, Safe in Tees Valley and v/Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust all offered places on National Citizen Service pilots to young people in the north east. In 2012, there will be a number of opportunities for 16-year-olds in the north east to take part in a National Citizen Service pilot. The organisations providing these places are Academy of Youth, Catch 22, Future Foundations, Safe in Tees Valley and v/Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust who are now actively recruiting in the area.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Aviation: Treaties

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2011, Official Report, column 149W, on aviation: treaties, what recent progress has been made on the ratification of the Cape Town convention.

Mark Prisk: Since my answer of 17 May, the Department’s officials have continued to work closely with industry representatives to discuss the benefits of UK ratification and this has resulted in additional evidence being submitted. Officials are now considering all the evidence that has been provided to the Department. A Government Response to the Call for Evidence will be published in the new year.

Business

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of mentors available to support small businesses in (a) Sefton and (b) nationally.

Mark Prisk: There are 70 mentoring organisations now accessible via:
	www.mentorsme.co.uk
	and through them 11,000 mentors. This initiative is led by business, not by Government, and the British Bankers Association (BBA) is co-ordinating and sponsoring the work. The website does not contain data on mentors at regional or constituency level but the search facility on the website allows visitors to easily find a mentoring organisation in their locality.
	Our aim is to develop a network of over 40,000 business mentors and the BBA is currently screening applications from other mentoring organisations who wish to be listed on the portal.
	The banks themselves are also contributing practical mentoring support alongside the other contributing organisations: the banks have made a commitment to have 1,000 bank mentors trained and deployed in not-for-profit mentoring organisations by the end of June 2012.
	Additionally, new grant funding of £1.2 million was announced by BIS on 16 November to recruit and train 10,000 volunteer business mentors from the small business community via the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI). This is on top of funding of £700,000 for 5,000 mentors announced by the Secretary of State for the Home Department as part of the package of support for female entrepreneurs on 4 November.
	SFEDI (the sector skills body for enterprise) is working with a range of trade associations and business representative bodies who will be recruiting from among local business communities and the volunteer business mentors will be accessible through
	www.mentorsme.co.uk

Business: Entry Clearances

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2011, Official Report, columns 459-60W, on business: entry clearances, if he will place in the Library the representations he has received on forward planning and Tier 2 visas.

Mark Prisk: I will place representations the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Minister for Trade and Investment have received on forward planning and Tier 2 visas in the Libraries of the House. The company names will be redacted to protect commercial confidentiality.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications from employees to run services for which his Department is directly responsible he has received since May 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: There have been no applications, to our knowledge, that have progressed through to procurement.

Export Credits Guarantees: Egypt

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether any of the debt owed by Egypt to the Export Credits Guarantee Department comes from sales of military equipment.

Edward Davey: The debt owed to the Export Credits Guarantees Department does not include military hardware i.e. aircraft, helicopters, tanks or missiles. It includes export contracts relating to the supply of communications equipment e.g. telephone and radio sets, to the Egyptian Government for use by the armed forces.

Financial Services: Older People

Rory Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to promote financial inclusion for older people living in rural areas who do not have access to the internet.

Mark Prisk: Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK)—a team within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport—delivers the Government's broadband strategy, bringing superfast broadband to all parts of the UK. BDUK’s main role is to allocate and distribute £530 million of funding to bring superfast broadband to the third of UK homes and businesses which will not be provided for by the broadband market. There are currently nine procurement programmes operating in Cumbria, the Highlands and Islands, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, Rutland, Surrey and Wales.
	The Government have allocated £17.13 million to help stimulate broadband private investment in Cumbria and the Cumbria county council is in procurement procedures to select a supplier, or suppliers, to upgrade infrastructure to support improved broadband services.
	Race Online 2012 is the Government-supported organisation led by Martha Lane Fox working to encourage everybody in the UK, including older people living in rural areas, to access the internet. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics estimate that the number of adults in the UK who had never been online fell by 300,000 to 8.43 million in the third quarter of 2011. Race Online 2012 has issued a report “Getting on—a Manifesto for Older People in a Network Nation”. A copy is attached and can be accessed at:
	http://raceonline2012.org/sites/default/files/resources/getting_on_august_2011.pdf

Further Education: English Language

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with the Association of Colleges on fee remission for English for speakers of other languages courses; and if he will make a statement.

John Hayes: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and I meet regularly with representatives from the further education sector to discuss a wide range of issues.
	Learners in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance or employment support allowance (in the work-related activity group) are eligible for full fee remission where English language skills have been identified as a barrier to entering employment. Further education colleges and training organisations also have local discretion to provide fully subsidised courses for people on a wider range of benefits where the training is to help them enter employment. The Government continue to contribute 50% towards English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) course fees for people who are settled here and not eligible for full Government funding. We will no longer fund ESOL courses delivered in the workplace.
	Further education (FE) colleges and training providers are responsible for meeting the needs of their local community, and increased freedoms and flexibilities that we have introduced will help them respond and determine within their funding where this is prioritised.

Higher Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has plans for further changes to higher education policy in 2013-14.

David Willetts: We set out our plans for higher education in the White Paper “Students at the Heart of the System” Cm 8122. We have consulted on the White Paper proposals. We have also asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to consult on future funding arrangements, including liberalising student number controls, in its forthcoming consultation on teaching funding for 2013/14 and beyond. We will respond to the White Paper consultation in the new year and a Higher Education Bill will be introduced in 2012, parliamentary time permitting.

Higher Education

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average cost was of providing a level 3 or higher qualification for adults aged 24 years old and over in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Hayes: Based on information provided by the Skills Funding Agency, the average in year unit cost for level 3 and higher qualifications for adults aged 25 and over for the 2009/10 academic year is estimated as £1,350 for apprenticeship provision and £2,100 for classroom based provision.
	The total public funding for individual qualifications will depend on the length of the course, the subject area and whether the individual qualifies for full fee remission or the costs are shared between Government, the individual or the employer.
	From the 2013/14 academic year we are introducing a new system of further education (FE) loans, which shifts more of the responsibility for investing in learning to individuals, and maintains support for adults to learn at advanced and higher levels. Sharing the same progressive features as higher education (HE) student finance—no upfront cost to the learner, no repayments until earnings reach £21,000, and outstanding amounts written off after 30 years—FE loans will use much of the delivery infrastructure for HE student loans, creating a more coherent offer to learners. The introduction of loans is an important step, and we will be working closely with colleges, training providers and stakeholders as we implement them for the 2013/14 academic year.

Higher Education: Fees and Charges

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many institutions have set tuition fees below £9,000.

David Willetts: Of the 149 institutions that have submitted access agreements to the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), there are 143 with estimated average tuition fees less than £9,000 (96%) after fee waivers.

Manufacturing Industries: Training

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department has provided to colleges and training providers to train people for jobs in the manufacturing industry in 2011-12.

John Hayes: This Government recognise the importance of manufacturing and its key role in rebalancing the economy. Working with industry, this Government are taking action aimed at increasing growth in manufacturing output in the UK by encouraging higher levels of innovation, exports, business investment and technical skills, as well as cutting excessive red tape.
	As set out in this Department's Skills Investment Statement 2011 to 2014 (1 December 2011), overall investment in adult further education (FE) and skills will be £3.8 billion in the 2012-13 financial year.
	The Skills Funding Agency has responsibility for the funding of post-19 FE and skills training and allocates budgets to individual FE colleges and training organisations. It does not allocate funding at the qualification level. From the 2011/12 academic year we introduced a single adult skills budget. This will provide FE colleges and training organisations with the flexibility to offer the range and balance of programmes, from basic skills to higher-level skills, in the mode of delivery that will best meet the needs of learners, employers and communities in line with demand.

Post Offices: Pilot Schemes

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2011, Official Report, column 736W, on post offices, what recent discussions he has had with Consumer Focus on the volume of customer transactions in Post Office Local pilots.

Edward Davey: Departmental officials and I have regular discussions with Consumer Focus on a range of topics, including matters relating to the post office network. As I explained in my previous answer, the Post Office Local model and the range of services available is currently being piloted across the UK. In May 2011, Consumer Focus published a detailed report, based on independent research, about the Post Office Local model which showed that the model offers over 85% of the range of post office services and that these services account for 97% of total customer transaction volumes across the network.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent in (a) Birmingham, (b) Newcastle, (c) Wakefield, (d) Manchester, (e) Leeds, (f) Liverpool, (g) Coventry, (h) Bristol, (i) Sheffield, (j) Bradford, (k) Leicester and (l) Nottingham in the latest financial year for which figures are available.

Edward Davey: The Department does not maintain records of spend in individual towns and cities and the information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	For information, the Department is committed to transparency and publishes details of monthly expenditure on our website at:
	www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/financial
	and from August 2011 onwards, this information contained the postcode of the supplier.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department has allocated to Birmingham in (a) ring-fenced and (b) non ring-fenced funding grants for each of the next three years.

Mark Prisk: The Birmingham region, through the local enterprise partnership, can access a variety of funding streams from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills as set out in my response to the right hon. Member on 23 November 2011, Official Report ,column 452W.
	To date the only funding this Department has allocated to the partnership is through the Capacity and Start up which is ring-fenced.

Scholarships

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to support young people leaving kinship care to access the National Scholarship scheme; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The National Scholarship Programme is designed for students whose family income is no greater than £25,000. Participating universities and colleges establish their own eligibility criteria to determine whom to help from among this broad group of people. In most cases, young people leaving kinship care will be deemed independent and only the student’s own income, if any, will be taken into account.
	Guidance to institutions about the programme published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) suggested to institutions that they may wish to consider if there are particular groups of students they would especially wish to support and encourage. The guidance listed students who were looked after children or care leavers (which includes those leaving kinship care) as one example of such a group.
	Institutions charging above £6,000 must agree Access Agreements with the Director of Fair Access setting out the support they will provide to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, information about their outreach and retention activities, and the benchmarks or targets that they will set themselves. 32 institutions included milestones for care leavers in their Access Agreements approved by the Office for Fair Access in July 2011.

Tourism: Regional Development Agencies

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each regional development agency spent on promoting tourism in its respective region in each of the last five financial years.

Mark Prisk: The following figures refer to spending by regional development agencies (RDAs) on core tourism and leisure objectives. RDAs have also spent money on activities related to tourism initiatives such as specific regeneration projects. The cost of these related activities are not included in the table.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Expenditure on tourism 
			 RDA 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			 AWM 3.8 4.9 8.5 6.1 3.3 
			 EEDA 1.5 1.8 1.4 1.1 1.1 
			 EMDA 5.3 4.7 3.3 3.3 2.5 
			 LDA 23.9 29.4 18.7 20.1 14.1 
			 NWDA 6.1 8.9 4.5 4.7 2.5 
			 ONE 10.8 10.6 11.3 7.2 4.7 
			 SEEDA 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.5 1.6 
			 SWRDA 3.2 2.6 1.3 1.3 1.3 
			 YF 3.9 6 3.1 6.2 6.3

Veterinary Services: Fees and Charges

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will ask the Competition Commission to investigate the pricing structures of the veterinary profession.

Edward Davey: Where there are concerns relating to pricing structures in a market, responsibility for investigating and referring them to the Competition Commission primarily rests with the Office of Fair Trading as the responsible competition authority.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the public purse was of the consultation on the reform of air passenger duty; and if he will estimate the number of hours officials in his Department have been engaged in the consultation.

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (a) how much funding from the public purse and (b) how many official working hours was spent on the consultation on the reform of air passenger duty.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of (a) the cost to the public purse and (b) the number of working hours spent by his officials on the consultation on the reform of air passenger duty.

Chloe Smith: The Government regularly consult on a wide range of issues. The cost of public consultation is accounted for within annual departmental budgets, which are published and available online. No separate estimates are available for the cost of the air passenger duty consultation.

Air Passenger Duty

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely amount of air passenger duty paid per passenger journey to (a) the Caribbean and (b) Hawaii following implementation of his planned reforms to air passenger duty.

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether passengers from UK airports flying to the Caribbean or Hawaii will pay more air passenger duty following his reforms to the duty.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he proposes that passengers from UK airports flying to the Caribbean will pay more air passenger duty (APD) than passengers flying to Hawaii following his planned reform of APD.

Chloe Smith: Air passenger duty (APD) rates for 2012-13, which take effect from 1 April 2012, were published at the Autumn Statement. The rates are set out in Table 1 of the document entitled ‘Tables Confirming Tax and Tax Credit Rates and Thresholds for 2012-13’, which is available on the HM Treasury website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/as2011_documents.htm

Air Passenger Duty

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when airlines were informed of the new air passenger duty rates applicable from 1 April 2012.

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when airlines were informed of the air passenger duty rates applicable from 1 April 2012.

Chloe Smith: Budget 2011 announced that air passenger duty would be frozen for 2011-12 and the RPI increase assumed in the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) forecast would be implemented from 1 April 2012. The Autumn Statement of 29 November confirmed the rates for 2012-13. The published rates are available on the HM Treasury website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/as2011_documents.htm

Air Passenger Duty

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which of the changes to air passenger duty announced in the Government response to the consultation on the reform of air passenger duty are intended to achieve greater simplification of the system.

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes to air passenger duty announced in the Government response to the consultation on the reform of air passenger duty are intended to achieve greater simplification of the system.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of whether his planned changes to air passenger duty (APD) will result in greater simplification of the APD system.

Chloe Smith: The Government consultation on Air Passenger Duty (APD) emphasised a number of objectives, including fairness and the need to maintain revenues from the aviation sector. It is right that the aviation sector makes a fair contribution to the public finances.
	The Government considered changes to the APD banding structure, alongside the base case of no change. A revenue neutral change would have required those flying to band A and band B destinations (91% of passengers) to pay more. The Government therefore decided to retain the existing four APD distance bands.

Business: Loans

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether companies that develop and export low carbon technologies will be eligible to receive support through his proposed National Loan Guarantee Scheme.

Mark Hoban: All firms in the UK with annual turnover of up to £50 million will be eligible to apply for loans under the National Loan Guarantee Scheme.

Child Benefit: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) families and (b) lone parents receive child benefit in Wales; and how many such lone parents are women.

David Gauke: The number of families receiving child benefit in Wales can be found in the HMRC statistical publication ‘Child Benefit Statistics: Geographical Analysis’, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_benefit/chb-geog-aug10.pdf
	As of August 2010, there were approximately 373,000 families in Wales receiving child benefit.
	Information on the number of lone parents is not available. The child benefit administrative dataset does not contain any information on household composition of claimants.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Internal audit plans for the Treasury and its executive agencies are drawn up annually and reviewed as required through the year. They are based on a review of management risk assessments, discussions with senior managers, previous internal audit work and planned changes and developments, and also linked with the organisations' objectives. The plans are established in consultation with, and subject to approval by, the Accounting Officers, boards and the Audit Committees as appropriate.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: UK public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector procurers are required to assess value for money from the perspective of the contracting authority using criteria linked to the subject matter of the contract, including compliance with the published specification.
	Wider socio-economic benefits that do not accrue to the contracting authority cannot be taken into account at tender evaluation stage if they do not relate to the subject matter of a contract from the point of view of the contracting authority.

Economic Growth

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the levels of economic growth in (a) the UK and (b) other G7 countries over the last 12 months.

Chloe Smith: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. Its “Economic and fiscal outlook” published 29 November 2011 state that
	“World activity has slowed since our March forecast, especially in advanced economies. This reflects: the deepening of the euro area sovereign debt crisis and related weakness in the financial sector; the supply chain effects from the Japanese earthquake; sluggish performance in the US labour and housing markets; and higher oil prices, partly related to unrest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.”
	The UK cannot be immune from this series of shocks, which have weakened economic growth in the UK and other G7 countries over the last 12 months.

Economic Growth: North-west England

Bill Esterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his autumn statement of 29 November 2011, Official Report, column 806, what plans he has for the development of the Atlantic Gateway.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 8 December 2011
	Returning the UK economy to sustainable economic growth that is more balanced across the UK and sectors is a key priority.
	The Government are taking forward an ambitious work programme with the eight core cities outside London to help them maximise their growth potential, including consideration of financial tools and support to drive forward key projects for the area.
	We will be working closely with business, city leaders, chief executives and LEP chairs across the country to develop tailored deals to unlock growth, including how to realise the ambitions in the Atlantic Gateway.

Employment

Richard Graham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of new jobs required to be created to maintain employment levels at a time of increasing population growth in the next 20 years.

Chloe Smith: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Zac Goldsmith) on 7 December 2011, Official Report, column 365W.

Financial Services: Qualifications

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority as part of the retail distribution review on exempting financial advisers who have reached a certain age from professional requirements.

Mark Hoban: The Retail Distribution Review (RDR) is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA), an independent body. The FSA has consulted extensively on the RDR since 2006 and, in accordance with the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, has published cost-benefit analyses of the proposals.
	The FSA is required under the Equality Act 2010 to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination in the exercise of its functions. This includes discrimination on the basis of age.

National Income

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of levels of domestic consumption on gross domestic product over the last 12 months.

Chloe Smith: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published gross domestic product (GDP) by expenditure up to the third quarter of 2011. The level of household consumption is 1.4% lower than the same quarter last year and the level of Government consumption is 2.9% higher. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published its “Economic and fiscal outlook” on 29 November 2011, setting out its forecasts for 2011. GDP growth in 2011 is forecast to be 0.9% with household consumption forecast to fall by 1.1% in 2011, contributing -0.7 percentage points to growth in GDP overall. Government consumption is forecast to rise by 2.2% in 2011, contributing 0.3 percentage points to GDP growth.

Poverty: Rural Areas

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the implications of the findings of the Hills Report for his policy on rural poverty.

Gregory Barker: I have been asked to reply.
	Professor Hills published his Interim Report in October 2011, and he is due to present his final report to Government in early 2012. My officials and I will carry out an assessment of his recommendations and their implications at that time.

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether factors other than the application of the Barnett formula were used to determine the block grant to Northern Ireland announced in October 2010.

Danny Alexander: In addition to Barnett consequential, the Northern Ireland Executive received £25 million to set up an access fund to ensure a fair and just resolution of issues arising from the collapse of the Presbyterian Mutual Society. They were also granted an additional £175 million of borrowing in order to create headroom within NIE's budget for a loan to the PMS administrator to facilitate an orderly disposal of assets.

Public Sector: Pensions

David Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2011, Official Report, columns 179-80W, on public sector: pensions, to which individual trades union leaders the Chief Secretary to the Treasury was referring in his BBC TV interview.

Danny Alexander: As I said during the interview of 6 November 2011 and in my answer to the same parliamentary question on 21 November 2011, most of the unions want to reach an agreement.
	Discussions are ongoing and I am very keen that a deal is reached with the trades unions.

Public Sector: Pensions

Bill Esterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of pensions of the uprating of public sector pensions for (a) current and (b) future pensioners.

Danny Alexander: Public service pensions in payment (or deferral) are uprated annually according to consumer prices index, through the statutory link to the indexation of the state second pension.
	On 6 December 2011, Official Report, columns 163-65, the Minister with responsibility for pensions my hon. Friend the Member for Thornbury and Yate (Steve Webb) confirmed in an oral statement to Parliament that the state second pension will be increased by 5.2% in April 2012. The level of public service pensions for current pensioners will therefore also increase by 5.2%.

Public Sector: Pensions

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total annual increase in public sector pension payment expenditure arising from the proposed (a) guarantee to protect full existing pension rights for those within 10 years of pension age and (b) change in the accrual rate for public sector schemes.

Danny Alexander: On 2 November 2011, I announced an enhanced offer on public service pensions. This included:
	setting an objective that public service workers who, as of 1 April 2012, have 10 years or less to their pension age see no change in when they can retire, nor any decrease in the amount of pension they receive at their current normal pension age. Schemes have been asked to determine the fairest way of reaching this objective, while ensuring that costs to the taxpayer in each and every year do not exceed the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts of public service pension costs; and
	an increase in the accrual rate in the Government’s preferred scheme design for public service pension reform, from 1/65ths to 1/60ths. This is an 8% cost increase.

Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to improve the performance of HM Revenue and Customs in dealing with post at the National Insurance Contributions and Employer Office within the target timescale of 80 per cent. being dealt with within 15 days.

David Gauke: HMRC National Insurance Contributions and Employer Office redeployed staff from other work to bring customer correspondence to under the 15 days target. Currently 88% of post is less than 15 days old.

Taxation: Energy

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed removal of the levy exemption certificate on energy intensive industries which depend on combined heat and power plants.

Chloe Smith: Budget 2011 announced that from 2013, the new relief from the carbon price floor for combined heat and power will be introduced and the existing relief from climate change levy provided through levy exemption certificates removed.
	A Tax Impact and Information Note on the removal of the exemption was published on 6 December, alongside the draft legislation, and is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tiin/tiin700.pdf
	The Government are working with the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Association and its members in order to develop a simpler, direct and more cost effective means of support for combined heat and power stations.
	The level of the relief from the carbon price floor for supplies of fossil fuels to good-quality CHP stations that are intended to be used to generate electricity, will be announced at Budget 2012.

Taxation: Energy

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed carbon floor price on energy intensive industries which depend on combined heat and power plants.

Chloe Smith: An assessment of the impacts of the carbon price floor is given in HMRC's Tax Information and Impact Note published alongside the Budget. This is available online at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2011/tiin6111.pdf
	The Department for Energy and Climate Change has carried out an assessment of the impact of all Government policies on energy bills for energy-intensive industries, published on 23 November, available at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/aes/impacts/impacts.aspx
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the autumn statement on 29 November 2011, Official Report, columns 799-810, a package of measures to reduce the transitional impacts of energy and climate change policies on the costs of electricity for the most energy-intensive industries. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will assess the impacts of the package as the details are developed.

Taxation: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the potential revenue yield from setting the annual pension tax relief allowance at (a) £40,000 and (b) £80,000; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC estimate that setting the annual pension tax relief allowance at:
	(a) £40,000 would yield around £600 million per year.
	(b) £80,000 would cost around £1,200 million per year.
	This is when compared to the current £50,000 annual allowance which was introduced for tax year 2011-12 onwards.
	These estimates are on an accruals basis and exclude behavioural effects.

Taxation: Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the cost of restricting tax relief on pensions to 20 per cent. on incomes of over £100,000 per annum; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC estimate that the revenue yield from restricting tax relief on pensions to 20% on incomes over £100,000 per annum would be £3.6 billion in 2012-13, when compared to a position of full relief on contributions up to £50,000. This is on an accruals basis and excludes behavioural effects.

VAT: Electronic Publishing

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department plans to introduce a zero rate of value added tax on e-books.

David Gauke: Under EU law, VAT on electronic books must be charged at the standard rate. Existing agreements with our EU partners do not allow the UK or other member states to introduce a new zero-rate or extend an existing one to relieve e-books from VAT and they specifically exclude electronically supplied services, which includes e-books, from a reduced rate.

Working Tax Credit: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) male and (b) female lone parents receive working tax credits in Wales.

David Gauke: The following table shows the number of male and female lone parents receiving working tax credit in Wales.
	
		
			 Number of in-work lone parents benefiting from working tax credit by gender of parent 
			  Thousand 
			 Female 60.9 
			 Male 4.0 
			 Total 64.9

Written Questions: Government Responses

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer questions (a) 79735, (b) 79736, (c) 79737, (d) 79738 tabled by the hon. Member for Nottingham East on 7 November 2011 for answer on 10 November 2011.

David Gauke: I have replied to the hon. Member.

HEALTH

Contraceptives

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance his Department plans to provide to local authorities on how to undertake a needs assessment of contraceptive services in their locality to ensure choice and open access to these services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to his Department's proposed reforms to the delivery of public health services, what support and guidance his Department provides to local authorities on commissioning comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  with reference to his Department's proposed reforms to the delivery of public health services, what sexual and reproductive health services local authorities will be required to commission to ensure choice and open access to such services; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  whether his Department expects Public Health England to produce guidance for (a) clinical commissioning groups and (b) local authorities on the commissioning of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: It is the Government's intention that, subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, there should be a small number of activities that local authorities will be mandated to commission. These activities will include appropriate provision of confidential, open-access sexual health services. However, it is not the intention to be overly prescriptive regarding the detail of how these services should be commissioned, or to constrain local authorities' ability to design services which meet the needs of local people.
	The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the Health and Wellbeing Strategies prepared by each local area will help to inform the commissioning of sexual health services, including contraceptive services, from April 2013. Clinical and service standards developed by bodies such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the Faculty for Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare and the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV are available to current service commissioners to help to inform commissioning decisions, and these standards will be available to future service commissioners as well.
	The Department will also work with colleagues both in the national health service and in local authorities to determine their need for guidance on commissioning specific public health services such as sexual health services.

Abortion: Research

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the causes of multiple abortions among (i) under 16s and (ii) under 18s.

Anne Milton: The Department has not commissioned any research projects specifically on the causes of multiple abortions among young women aged under 16 and young women aged under 18. However, the Government Office for London, which has now been abolished, commissioned a research report published in January 2010, ‘Young People in London: Abortion and Repeat Abortion’. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.

Abortion: Young People

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many girls of school age who had abortions in the latest period for which figures are available have previously been on an at risk register.

Anne Milton: Data on the number of girls of school age having abortions that have previously been on the at risk register are not collected by the Department.

Abortion: Young People

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people aged under 18 years who had abortions in the latest period for which figures are available are recorded as having had a previous abortion.

Anne Milton: The latest period for which data are available is 2010. Of the 16,460 legal abortions carried out on young women in England and Wales under the age of 18 years, 1,294 (7.9%) had undergone a previous abortion.

Antenatal Care: Wirral

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what improvements have been made in the antenatal care offered to families by antenatal contact at 28 to 36 weeks in the Wirral following his agreement on the early implementer site Piloting of Pathways.

Anne Milton: The Wirral is one of 26 early implementer sites announced in March 2011 to demonstrate improvement and success in delivery of the new Health Visiting Service Vision and Family Offer as detailed in the “Health Visiting Implementation Plan: A Call to Action 2011-2015”. Pilot projects under way are looking at improving outcomes for children and families and ensuring greater awareness of and alignment of local early years services.
	We are advised that in the Wirral, the results and lessons learned from the projects will be captured as case studies and shared within the region, as well as nationally to ensure the spread of key learning and improvement practice. This will be achieved through monthly knowledge sharing forums and specifically through an end of year event in March 2012.

Baby Care Units: Manpower

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of future staffing levels of neonatal units for premature and ill babies in NHS hospitals.

Anne Milton: Work force planning is a matter for local national health service organisations. They are best placed to assess the health needs of their local health community and will commission the required number of training places to develop the work force to meet those needs.
	A safety and quality assurance process has been developed to ensure that any significant change proposed in the clinical work force has involved clinicians at all levels, maximising their engagement, leadership and sign off.

Baby Care Units: Nurses

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist nursing staff are employed to care for premature or ill babies in NHS hospitals in each year since 2006.

Anne Milton: It is for local national health service organisations to invest in training for specialist skills and to deploy specialist nurses in accordance with their local needs.
	In December 2010, a new code for the capture of the number of nurses working in neonatal nursing, including special care baby units (SCBUs), was introduced to enable the separate identification of this key aspect of the NHS work force via the electronic staff record (ESR) system. Though the records for this new code are currently incomplete it will in time help to inform more targeted commissioning for the education and training of this specific staff group and therefore help to improve front line nursing for premature and sick babies.
	As the code for nurses working in neonatal nursing (including SCBUs) was only implemented in ESR on 25 February 2011 even the most recent published data (August 2011) would contain very patchy coverage and therefore would not be suitable for answering this question. Those nurses working in maternity services and paediatric nursing would be involved in a wider range of work outside of the specific care of premature and sick babies (hence the inclusion of the new code) and therefore would not be suitable either.

Children's Centres: Departmental Co-ordination

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking jointly with the Department for Education to enable Sure Start children's centres to focus on families in greatest need.

Anne Milton: The Government want to retain a vibrant network of high-quality children's centres which are accessible to all families but focused on those in greatest need.
	The Department of Health and the Department for Education published their joint vision for services from pregnancy through to age five in ‘Families in the Foundation Years’ earlier this year. As part of this joint vision, the Government have also committed to doubling the number of places on the family nurse partnership (FNP) programme by 2015. This is a preventive programme for vulnerable young first time mothers and their babies. It offers intensive and structured home visiting, delivered by specially trained nurses, from early pregnancy until the child is two. FNP is either connected to or delivered from Sure Start children's centres in many areas and family nurses encourage clients to use children's centre services.
	DFE is working with departmental colleagues on the Health Visiting community development training programme to look at sharing resources more widely and explore joint training opportunities for health visitors and children centre staff.
	DFE, working closely with the Department, will set out ways in which children's centres should focus on families in greatest need in the Sure Start children's centres statutory guidance, which will be sent out for consultation in the new year. Local commissioners of health services, as well as local authorities and other partners, must have regard to the statutory guidance.
	Payment by results approaches are also being developed to strengthen the focus on the core purpose of children's centres: to improve child development and school readiness (including health and well-being) amongst young children and to reduce inequalities. This includes identifying, reaching and supporting the most disadvantaged families to improve their parenting aspirations and skills and to promote health and well-being.
	The NHS Operating Framework 2012-13 includes the requirement that strategic health authority and primary care trust clusters should work together to deliver the number of health visitors required as part of the Government commitment to increase the number by 4,200 by April 2015, as set out in the ‘Health Visiting Implementation Plan 2011-15—A Call to Action’ to deliver the Healthy Child Programme, provide greater support to families and develop local community capacity in support of children and families working closely with Sure Start children's centres and other local services.

Chronically Sick People

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in the (a) working and (b) total population suffering from (i) one long-term condition and (ii) two long-term conditions; and what he estimates the above numbers will be in (A) 10 years time and (B) 20 years time.

Paul Burstow: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number (million) 
			 (a) Number of people in work force with one or more long-term conditions 10.7 
			 (b)(i) Number of people with one long-term condition 10.4 
			 (b) (ii) Number of people with two or more long-term conditions 5.0 
			 (i) (A) Estimate over next 10 years for people with one or more long-term conditions 15.4 
		
	
	
		
			 (i) (B) Estimate over next 20 years for people with one or more long-term conditions 17.9

Departmental Assets

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assets his Department owns in Birmingham; and what the book value is of each such asset.

Simon Burns: The Department has no assets physically located in Birmingham.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department's internal audit plan, developed in line with government internal audit standards, that outlines all proposed internal audit reviews is designed to align with departmental priorities and key risks. It is a 12-month plan which is revised and refreshed every quarter in line with Audit and Risk Committee meetings and updates to the Department's strategic risk register. This allows for the addition of new work to meet new priorities and emerging risks throughout the course of the year.
	The proposed areas and broad timings for the reviews are discussed with the Permanent Secretary, presented to the senior executive team for their input and then subsequently to the Audit and Risk Committee (which then reports to the Department Board) for comment and agreement.
	The Department's arm's length bodies maintain similar arrangements, in line with government internal audit standards, to develop a programme of internal audit intended to provide assurance to their board that adequate systems of internal control are in place and operating satisfactorily. Programmes of internal audit are authorised by their Audit and Risk Committee, or equivalent, and will consist of a range of reviews. Some audits will be routine work required to provide assurance to their external auditors, others will be based on risk assessments, typically involving the internal auditors, management and the Audit and Risk Committee, or designed to cover specific risks around fraud and corruption.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent in (a) Birmingham, (b) Newcastle, (c) Wakefield, (d) Manchester, (e) Leeds, (f) Liverpool, (g) Coventry, (h) Bristol, (i) Sheffield, (j) Bradford, (k) Leicester and (l) Nottingham in the latest financial year for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not collected centrally. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Primary care trusts (PCTs) net operating costs, 2010-11 
			 City Primary care trust £000 
			 Birmingham Birmingham East and North PCT 762,260 
			  Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 589,000 
			  South Birmingham PCT 676,051 
			 Newcastle Newcastle PCT 527,308 
			 Wakefield Wakefield District PCT 651,925 
			 Manchester Manchester PCT 1,045,190 
			 Leeds Leeds PCT 1,303,910 
			 Liverpool Liverpool PCT 1,010,022 
			 Coventry Coventry Teaching PCT 585,246 
			 Bristol Bristol PCT 761,261 
			 Sheffield Sheffield PCT 988,515 
			 Bradford Bradford and Airedale PCT 914,092 
			 Leicester Leicester City PCT 548,802 
			 Nottingham Nottingham City PCT 554,422 
			 Source: Audited summarisation schedules, 2010-11. 
		
	
	This table shows the net operating costs of those PCTs which are geographically the most closely associated with the cities named in the question. These costs do not represent direct expenditure by the Department. PCT expenditure is funded from sums voted by Parliament to the Department. Once those funds are allocated, it is for PCTs to decide locally how the money should be used to address the health needs of their resident populations.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has allocated to Birmingham in (a) ring-fenced and (b) non-ring fenced funding grants for each of the next three years.

Simon Burns: The following table shows total revenue allocations made to primary care trusts (PCTs) in the Birmingham area for 2011-12.
	
		
			 PCT 2011-12 total revenue allocations (£ million) 
			 Birmingham East and North 747.3 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching 578.4 
			 South Birmingham 650.2 
		
	
	PCT recurrent revenue allocations are not broken down by service or policy area. It is for PCTs to commission services to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities.
	PCT allocations for 2012-13 will be announced shortly. This will be the last round of allocations made to PCTs, as, subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, from 2013-14 the NHS Commissioning Board would be responsible for the allocation of resources to clinical commissioning groups, while the Department would make grants to local authorities for their public health responsibilities.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: In line with United Kingdom public procurement policy, the Department and its arm's length bodies' procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Public sector procurers are required to assess value for money from the perspective of the contracting authority using criteria linked to the subject matter of the contract, including compliance with the published specification.
	Wider socio-economic benefits that do not accrue to the contracting authority cannot be taken into account at tender evaluation stage if they do not relate to the subject matter of a contract from the point of view of the contracting authority.

Doctors: Foreign Nationals

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many non-UK doctors have been registered in (a) Suffolk Primary Care Trust and (b) England to provide out-of-hours care in each year since 2001;
	(2)  how many locum doctors have been registered in (a) Suffolk Primary Care Trust and (b) England to provide out-of-hours care in each year since 2001.

Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally.
	Doctors are not required to register specifically to provide out-of-hours care. Every doctor providing national health service primary care services must be on a Performers List held by a primary care trust (PCT). In England a doctor can only be on one PCT list at any one time.

E. coli

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of E. coli 0157 infection were reported in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009, (e) 2010 and (f) 2011.

Anne Milton: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) carries out national microbiological and epidemiological surveillance of E. coli 0157. The HPA receives reports of laboratory human infections from microbiology laboratories throughout England and Wales and these data are collated and reported regularly in the HPA's Health Protection Report:
	www.hpa.org.uk
	The number of cases reported in England and Wales in the last five years are provided as annual and regional totals in Tables 1 and 2. Outbreak data are provided in Table 3. Data for 2011 will not be available until early 2012.
	
		
			 Table 1. E coli  0 157 annual totals for England and Wales, 2006-10 
			  Number of E. coli  0 157 cases 
			 2006 1,001 
			 2007 828 
			 2008 950 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 1,034 
			 2010 793 
			 Total 4,606 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Regional totals of E. coli  0 157 in England and Wales, by year for 2006-10 
			 Region 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 East midlands 56 33 49 51 46 
			 East of England 59 93 73 84 68 
			 London 125 59 84 109 57 
			 North-east 60 74 60 68 33 
			 North-west 170 138 169 135 134 
			 South-east 126 107 98 180 99 
			 South-west 117 102 118 127 113 
			 West midlands 50 45 104 78 82 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 182 142 140 125 121 
			 Wales 56 35 55 77 40 
			 Total 1,001 828 950 1,034 793 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: General outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease caused by E. coli  0 157 in 2006-10 
			   People affected 
			 Mode of transmission Number of outbreaks Number Percentage 
			 Foodborne(1) 20 273 35.9 
			 Recreational water 3 21 2.8 
			 Animal contact 18 170 22.4 
			 Person to person 21 289 38.0 
			 Other/outdoor events 2 7 0.9 
			     
			 All outbreaks (total) 64 760 — 
			 (1) Food is defined as provided in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002; i.e. a food is any substance or product, whether processed, partially processed or unprocessed intended to be, or reasonably expected to be ingested by humans, including drinking water.

E. coli

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure the implementation of the recommendations of the Griffin report into the outbreak of E.coli 0157 at Godstone Farm, Surrey in 2009.

Anne Milton: Following publication in June 2010 of Professor George Griffin's report of the independent investigation into the outbreak of E. coli 0157 at Godstone Farm in 2009, the Godstone Multi Agency Implementation Committee (GMAIC) was established to agree and implement action in response to the recommendations made in the Griffin report.
	GMAIC was a multi-agency cross-government group that included representatives from the open farms industry, public interest groups and the National Farmers Union and was chaired by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). GMAIC has completed its task, and a report of the actions it has taken against each of the 43 recommendations in the Griffin Report is published in full on the HPA's website:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1317131725640

Epilepsy: Health Services

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what variation there is in the funding of vagus nerve stimulation for refractory epilepsy by (a) primary care trusts and (b) specialised commissioning groups.

Paul Burstow: We have made no analysis of any variation in funding for vagus nerve stimulation for refractory epilepsy by primary care trusts and specialised commissioning groups.

Family Nurse Partnership Programme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people worked in family nurse partnerships in each year since the inception of the family nurse partnership programme;
	(2)  how many families received assistance from family nurse partnerships in each year since the inception of the scheme.

Anne Milton: Since 2007, the approximate number of family nurses and family nurse partnership (FNP) supervisors working (full-time equivalents) in local FNP sites each year is 52 in 2007-08, 180 in 200-09, 270 in 2009-10, 295 in 2010-11. We expect there to be 430 by the end of 2011-12.
	The total number of clients to have received assistance from the FNP programme to date (December 2011) is over 8,000. The approximate number of new families who have joined FNP each year from 2007 was 1,189 in 2007-08, 889 in 2008-09, 2,331 in 2009-10, 2,583 in 2010-11 and 1172 so far in 2011-12. Families receive assistance from FNP for up to two and a half years.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of children with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Anne Milton: The actual United Kingdom prevalence for either foetal alcohol syndrome or foetal alcohol spectrum disorder is unknown and there is no mechanism currently for national data collection.

Four Seasons Health Care

Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with responsibility 
	(1)  with reference to comments made by the Minister for care services on Radio 4's “Today” Programme, 6 December 2011, on Southern Cross, what assurance process his Department has undertaken on the financial viability of Four Seasons Healthcare; and if he will publish the results of any such assurance process;
	(2)  what assurance his Department has received that Four Seasons Healthcare will seek to restructure its finances following its takeover of Southern Cross care homes; and when any such restructuring will be completed;
	(3)  how many times (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have met senior management of Four Seasons Healthcare in the last 12 months.

Paul Burstow: The chairman and chief executive of Four Seasons Healthcare have met senior officials from the Department to explain the company's financial position twice in the last 12 months. We will continue to keep in close touch with the company. There have been no meetings between the company and Ministers to discuss this issue.
	The company has explained its trading position and its plans to deal with its debt restructuring. It has stressed that its business model is very different from that of Southern Cross Healthcare. Unlike Southern Cross, it owns the majority of its homes. It also reports that it is operating profitably and is better able to cope with fluctuations in the market.
	Four Seasons' historic debt matures in September 2012. The process to restructure the debt has begun and will be completed before the maturity date. The information provided by the company is commercially sensitive and it would not be appropriate to publish it.
	At present, the Department does not have concerns about Four Seasons’ financial position. However, we are keeping the situation under review.
	It is for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to register providers of adult social care services, including care homes. The registration process for care providers with the CQC requires that they declare their organisation takes all reasonable steps to remain financially viable. Where the CQC has concerns regarding a declaration, it will ask further questions to determine whether the provider is compliant with Regulation 13 of the CQC (Registration) Regulations 2009, which requires providers to ensure the “financial viability” of their enterprise, before deciding whether to register them.

Health Services: Cardiovascular System

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NICE has any plans to publish a quality standard on the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Simon Burns: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has already published quality standards on chronic heart failure and stroke, and is developing further quality standards on stable angina, acute coronary syndromes (including myocardial infarction), and thromboembolic diseases (including pulmonary embolism).
	Further information on the quality standards NICE is developing can be found at:
	www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/qualitystandards/qualitystandards.jsp
	NICE, jointly with the National Quality Board, recently ran an engagement exercise on the development of a library of quality standard topics for the national health service. The list of proposed quality standard topics published as part of this exercise included the following cardiovascular topics:
	acute heart failure;
	atrial fibrillation;
	hypertension;
	secondary care management of malignant hypertension;
	lipid modification;
	secondary prevention of myocardial infarction and cardiac rehabilitation;
	familial hypercholesterolemia;
	risk assessment of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors;
	peripheral vascular disease;
	varicose veins; and
	abdominal aortic aneurysm.
	The engagement exercise closed on 14 October 2011.
	Further information on the engagement exercise can be found at:
	www.nice.org.uk/getinvolved/currentniceconsultations/NQBEngagement.jsp
	An announcement on next steps will be made once the responses have been analysed.

Health Services: Males

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to include sexual history in the men's health check.

Simon Burns: The NHS Health Check programme is a national public health programme for men and women in England aged 40-74. The purpose of the programme is to identify an individual's risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes, and for that risk to be managed through appropriate follow up. There are no current plans to include sexual history as part of a check.

Health Visitors: Regulation

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reform the regulation of the health visitor role undertaken by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Anne Milton: The review to reform the regulation of the health visiting profession is the responsibility of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
	The NMC announced on 19 October 2011, that regulation of the health visitor role is to be positively reformed across the United Kingdom, as part of a programme of work emphasising the vital role of health visitors and other specialist community public health nurses. The NMC will build on much of the work that has been led by the four UK health departments, including the work of the Health Visitor Programme. The Department will contribute to the review. We are not aware of a date for which the review is scheduled for completion.

Health Visitors: Training

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health visitor training commissions there were in each strategic health authority in 2011-12.

Anne Milton: The following table shows the number of health visitor training commissions planned by each strategic health authority (SHA) for 2011-12.
	
		
			 Planned health visitor training commissions 2011-12 by SHA 
			  Number of commissions 
			 North East 96 
			 North West 111 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 174 
			 East Midlands 165 
			 West Midlands 182 
			 East of England 236 
			 London 272 
			 South East Coast 154 
			 South Central 130 
			 South West 210 
			 Source: Quarterly SHA Financial Management Returns

Health: Males

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of men that are likely to suffer from testosterone deficiency syndrome in 2020.

Anne Milton: Data on the number of men who suffer from testosterone deficiency syndrome are not currently held centrally and there are no plans at present to estimate the number of men that might suffer from the syndrome in 2020.

Hospitals

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department has visited since May 2010; and on what date each such visit took place.

Anne Milton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

KPMG

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has paid (a) KPMG and (b) McKinsey since May 2010; and for what services.

Anne Milton: The following tables set out information from the Department's central procurement system about the purchase order (PO) value the Department (includes core Department of Health and Connecting for Health) has awarded and paid KPMG and McKinsey since April 2010 (figures can only be provided for the full financial year 2010-11).
	
		
			 KPMG LLP 
			 Supplier name Type of services 2010-11 (£) 
			 KPMG LLP Organisation and Change Management Consultancy 3,990,592 
			  Programme and Project Management Consultancy 608,131 
			  Secondment 21,731 
			 Total — 4,620,455 
		
	
	
		
			 McKinsey and Co Inc UK 
			 Supplier name Type of services 2010-11 (£) 
			 McKinsey and Co Inc UK Organisation and Change Management Consultancy 139,000 
			 Total  139,000 
		
	
	The following table sets out information from the Department's central procurement system about the PO value the Department (includes core Department of Health and Connecting for Health) has awarded to McKinsey since April 2011-12 (the current financial year, to date).
	
		
			 Supplier name Type of services 2011-12 (£) 
			 McKinsey and Co Inc UK Organisation and Change Management Consultancy 200,300 
			 Total  200,300

Malcolm Lader

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Professor Malcolm Lader holds any official appointment within his Department or any of its Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies; and whether he has contributed to its policy review on addiction to medicines.

Anne Milton: Professor Malcolm Lader is one of the experts and stakeholders whose advice has been sought in the Department's work on addiction to medicines. Professor Malcolm Lader does not hold any official appointment within the Department, its executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies.

Medical Certificates

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects GP practices to have access to systems allowing them to issue electronic fit notes.

Simon Burns: We expect over half of the general practitioner (GP) practices in England to have access to electronic fit notes using their GP systems during spring 2012 with others to follow as the practices' system suppliers develop their systems to incorporate this functionality.

Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute mental health beds there are in each mental health trust in England; and how many such beds there are per 100,000 people.

Paul Burstow: The Department does not collect the total number of acute mental health beds in each mental health trust in England or the number of beds per 100,000 people.
	However, the Department does collect data on the average daily number of mental health beds available in all trusts in England that are available overnight.
	Figures for the latest quarter (July to September 2011) are in the following table. The table also shows population data for England, and the number of beds per 100,000 people for England. The population data cannot be broken down further.
	
		
			 Average daily number of available mental illness beds open overnight in Quarter 2 2011-12 for all trusts with mental illness beds in England 
			 Organisation code Organisation name Available mental illness beds (open overnight) Mid-2011 population estimate (thousand) Beds per 100,000 population 
			  England 23,208 52,655 44.08 
			      
			 RR7 Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust 44 — — 
			 RTF Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 75 — — 
			 RX3 Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust 764 — — 
			 RX4 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust 871 — — 
			 RBS Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust 7 — — 
			 RNN Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 134 — — 
			 RT2 Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust 519 — — 
			 RTV 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 304 — — 
			 RW3 Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 10 — — 
			 RW4 Mersey Care NHS Trust 408 — — 
			 RW5 Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust 629 — — 
			 RXA Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 287 — — 
			 RXV Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust 605 — — 
			 TAE Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust 248 — — 
			 5NV North Yorkshire and York PCT 178 — — 
			 RCU Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust 24 — — 
			 RGD Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust 347 — — 
		
	
	
		
			 RV9 Humber NHS Foundation Trust 222 — — 
			 RXE Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust 271 — — 
			 RXG South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 469 — — 
			 RY6 Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust 8 — — 
			 TAD Bradford District Care Trust 205 — — 
			 RHA Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust 1,023 — — 
			 RP1 Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 238 — — 
			 RP7 Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 227 — — 
			 RT5 Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust 432 — — 
			 RXM Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 302 — — 
			 RY8 Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust 73 — — 
			 R1A Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust 179 — — 
			 RLY North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust 211 — — 
			 RQ3 Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 44 — — 
			 RRE South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 357 — — 
			 RXT Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust 691 — — 
			 RYG Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust 288 — — 
			 RYK Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust 194 — — 
			 TAJ Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 201 — — 
			 RMY Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust 394 — — 
			 RRD North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 399 — — 
			 RT1 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust 326 — — 
			 RT6 Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust 142 — — 
			 RWN South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust 717 — — 
			 RWR Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 508 — — 
			 RAL Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 1 — — 
			 RAT North East London NHS Foundation Trust 313 — — 
			 RKL West London Mental Health NHS Trust 609 — — 
			 RP4 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust 8 — — 
			 RPG Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust 448 — — 
			 RQY South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust 529 — — 
			 RRP Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust 600 — — 
			 RRV University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 12 — — 
			 RV3 Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust 840 — — 
			 RV5 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust 940 — — 
			 RWK East London NHS Foundation Trust 698 — — 
			 TAF Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust 189 — — 
			 RX2 Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 620 — — 
			 RXY Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust 565 — — 
			 5CQ Milton Keynes PCT 63 — — 
			 5QT Isle of Wight NHS PCT 64 — — 
			 R1C Solent NHS Trust 140 — — 
			 RNU Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust 439 — — 
			 RW1 Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust 637 — — 
			 RWX Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust 235 — — 
			 5F1 Plymouth Teaching PCT 146 — — 
			 RDY Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust 99 — — 
			 RH5 Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 168 — — 
			 RJ8 Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 135 — — 
			 RTQ 2gether NHS Foundation Trust 226 — — 
			 RVJ North Bristol NHS Trust 22 — — 
			 RVN Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust 615 — — 
		
	
	
		
			 RWV Devon Partnership NHS Trust 274 — — 
			 Notes: 1. Bed numbers were collected by consultant specialty and only include beds where the patient is under the care of a consultant and covered the following consultant specialties: 710 Adult Mental Illness 711 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 712 Forensic Psychiatry 713 Psychotherapy 715 Old Age Psychiatry 2. ONS population estimates are not available for individual NHS organisations. Sources: 1. Department of Health form, KH03 2. Office for National Statistics, 2010-based National Population Projections—Table A1-4 www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/re-reference-tables.html?edition=tcm%3a77-229866

Midwives: Manpower

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the additional midwives the Government undertook to provide are being provided at a local level in the NHS; how many such midwives have already been provided; and how many he plans to provide in each year to 2015.

Anne Milton: The number of qualified midwives has increased by 2.2% (450) since May 2010. However, it is the responsibility of local NHS organisations to plan and deliver a work force appropriate to the needs of their local population, based on clinical need and sound evidence.
	The Department has asked the Centre for Workforce Intelligence to undertake an in-depth study of the nursing and maternity work force starting 2011-12 in order to inform the future commissioning of training places. This study will help inform our plans for the future.

Neurology: Surgery

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of interim funding decisions for neurosurgery made by specialised commissioning groups on (a) patients with rare clinical need and (b) their carers and families.

Anne Milton: During 2012-13, all money and accountability for the decision making processes for access to specialised services will still be under the control of primary care trusts (PCTs).
	Commitments have been given to PCTs that no policy convergence will take place in 2012-13 without their knowledge and explicit support. In the case of access to neurosurgery, this will still be governed by local policy although work is being undertaken to identify differences in access to services.
	A clinical, financial and public patient experience and engagement process is being developed to support policy convergence for 2013-14 onwards.

NHS: Negligence

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the NHS Litigation Authority is operating a moratorium on settling large claims; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  in how many cases the NHS Litigation Authority has admitted liability but voluntary interim payments have not been paid; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many cases received by the NHS Litigation Authority have been resolved in terms of (a) liability and (b) damages and fees in each month since May 2010.

Simon Burns: The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) does not have a moratorium on settling large claims. The NHSLA is committed to appropriately resolving all claims as speedily as possible.
	The NHSLA does not have data on the number of cases where it admitted liability but voluntary interim payments have not been paid, because the NHSLA does not have a record of all instances where voluntary interim payments were requested.
	The number of clinical negligence claims settled by the NHSLA by month since May 2010 is shown in the following table. The table shows separately the number of settlements with no damages or costs and the number of settlements with damages and/or costs.
	
		
			  Number of claims settled 
			 Month of settlement Nil damages and costs With damages and/or costs Total 
			 May 2010 119 414 533 
			 June 2010 102 477 579 
			 July 2010 99 .515 614 
			 August 2010 99 373 472 
			 September 2010 81 510 591 
			 October 2010 176 663 839 
			 November 2010 182 640 822 
			 December 2010 113 470 583 
		
	
	
		
			 January 2011 117 520 637 
			 February 2011 128 549 677 
			 March 2011 176 628 804 
			 April 2011 73 437 510 
			 May 2011 107 609 716 
			 June 2011 121 575 696 
			 July 2011 122 604 726 
			 August 2011 146 722 868 
			 September 2011 149 599 748 
			 October 2011 269 589 858 
			 November 2011 143 546 689 
			 Note: The data cover the period up to 30 November 2011. Source: NHS Litigation Authority, 2011

Palliative Care

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to draw to the attention of (a) GPs and (b) hospital trusts the recent advice of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the use of painkillers in palliative care.

Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently developing a clinical guideline on the safe and effective use of opioids in palliative care and has not yet issued final guidance to the national health service.
	NICE has published draft guidance for consultation and stakeholders have until 6 January to comment on NICE'S provisional recommendations. The Institute currently expects to publish its final guidance in May 2012.

Palliative Care

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients and their relatives are informed by clinicians when hospital trusts are placed on the Liverpool care pathway.

Paul Burstow: The Liverpool care pathway (LCP) was developed by the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute in Liverpool as an approach to support the delivery of good care in the last days of life. The Department of Health is not responsible for the LCP, but recommends it as good practice.
	Before putting someone on the LCP, senior doctors and nurses involved in the patient's care should agree that death is very likely to be imminent and that being placed on the pathway will be beneficial to the patient. The LCP documentation is clear that a decision to use the pathway should always involve the patient and/or family members.
	The National Care of the Dying Audit—Hospitals, based on the standards of care within the LCP and run by the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute in collaboration with the Royal College of Physicians, assesses the use of the LCP and the quality of care provision. This audit is one of those that must be reported in providers' Quality Accounts.
	The report of the third round of the audit notes that in 94% of documented cases discussions explaining the use of the LCP were held with relatives or carers. However, as part of the report's recommendations, it stresses that the decision that a patient is dying and in the last hours or days of life should be discussed with patients, where appropriate, and always with relatives or carers.

Palliative Care: Community Hospitals

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made any assessment of the relative importance of palliative care, rehabilitation and post-operative and respite care being delivered in local community hospitals.

Paul Burstow: The Government are committed to increasing care and access to treatment in the community. Local community hospitals provide a vital community resource to support patients in need of rehabilitation, recuperation and respite care—preventing unnecessary admissions to hospitals and supporting a rapid return to independence and good health.
	Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill through Parliament, power and responsibility for commissioning services will be devolved to more local clinical commissioning groups, which will mean that the design of patient pathways and local services is always clinically-led and based on more effective dialogue and partnership with hospital specialists.

Prescriptions

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were issued by (a) nurse independent prescribers, (b) community practitioner nurse prescribers and (c) doctors in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: Information is not collected centrally on the number of prescriptions issued. Information is available for the number of items prescribed and subsequently dispensed in primary care. The following table provides information, by category of prescriber, for the latest 12-month period.
	
		
			 Prescription items issued by category of prescriber in England, and dispensed, in the community, in the United Kingdom, from October 2010 until September 2011 
			 Thousand 
			  Community practitioner nurse prescriber Nurse independent prescriber Doctors Other prescribers Total (1) 
			 2010      
			 October 161 1,011 78,156 33 79,361 
			 November 166 1,058 78,128 37 79,388 
			 December 157 1,102 81,552 33 82,845 
			       
			 2011      
			 January 164 1,088 74,007 32 75,290 
			 February 155 1,037 70,413 34 71,638 
			 March 176 1,196 80,982 40 82,394 
			 April 153 1,043 72,322 34 73,552 
			 May 177 1,111 77,228 35 78,551 
			 June 184 1,159 79,251 37 80,631 
			 July 178 1,107 76,556 40 77,881 
			 August 175 1,109 77,624 43 78,951 
			 September 177 1,110 80,601 38 81,926 
			 (1) Figures may not sum due to rounding. Source: Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool (PACT) system.

Radiation Exposure

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs have been incurred by the Health Protection Agency following the incident at the Fukushima nuclear plant in respect of collaboration with (a) organisations involved with civil contingencies, (b) the World Health Organisation, (c) the International Atomic Energy Agency and (d) the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation; and from what budget any such costs have been paid.

Anne Milton: The total costs of staff time incurred by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in connection with the accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant up until 8 December 2011 were £313,675 of which £2,459 were in support of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), and £50,843 were in support of the World Health Organization (WHO) including travel costs to Geneva.
	The remaining costs were incurred supporting the United Kingdom national response. No direct costs were incurred supporting the International Atomic Energy Agency. Ongoing support is currently provided to UNSCEAR and WHO. All of these costs were paid from the HPA Grant in Aid as part of the HPA's UK health protection responsibilities.

Steria

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts his Department has awarded to Steria since May 2010; and what the (a) purpose, (b) monetary value and (c) net worth was of each contract.

Anne Milton: The Department's central procurement system holds information on the following purchase orders (POs) relating to contracts awarded between May 2010 and November 2011. The following table sets out the date the PO was awarded, the service description for each transaction and the total value of the PO when awarded.
	
		
			 Date purchase order awarded Description of services Monetary value (£) Net worth (£) 
			 15 June 2010 Implementation Management for the e-Learning for Health Programme 33,120.00 33,120.00 
			 17 November 2010 Commercial Management for the Strategic Commissioning Development Unit 48,730.00 48,730.00

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Research Unit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Climate Research Unit.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has not had any discussions with representatives of the Climatic Research Unit at the university of East Anglia.
	All DECC ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/registers.aspx

Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the monetary value was of the (a) Carbon Emission Reduction Target and (b) Community Energy Saving Programme in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011; and what the monetary value of such schemes will be in (A) 2012 and (B) 2013.

Gregory Barker: These obligations are set in carbon saving terms and my Department does not require or collect data on actual expenditure. We do however make estimates of costs in the Impact Assessments published when the obligations are put in place or varied. We have estimated that obligated parties would need to invest around £5,000 million to meet their CERT targets (over the period April 2008 to December 2012) and around £350 million to meet CESP (October 2009 to December 2012).
	CERT and CESP will be replaced by the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) in late 2012. As part of the recent Green Deal consultation we have proposed targets for ECO which we estimate would cost around £1,300 million per year.

Carbon Emissions

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress he has made on his inquiry into the outcome of the European Parliament vote of 5 July 2011 on carbon emissions targets; and when he plans to publish the outcome of the inquiry.

Gregory Barker: There has been no inquiry by my officials into the European Parliament's vote on EU greenhouse gas emission reductions, which took place on 5 July 2011.

Carbon Sequestration

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the expected timetable is for the development of carbon capture and storage projects; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: We will be launching an accelerated process for the selection of CCS projects as soon as possible. The Department is holding an Industry Day on 16 December to provide further information on the CCS programme. Sponsors and developers of proposed CCS projects, power generators, CO2 transport infrastructure providers, oil and gas field operators and independent operators, and CO2 capture technology providers are invited to contact the Office of Carbon Capture and Storage if they wish to attend.

Carbon Sequestration

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Scottish and Southern Energy on the timetable for the development of carbon capture and storage at Peterhead.

Charles Hendry: Ministers hold regular meetings with industry to discuss a range of energy and climate change issues. In addition, my officials hold regular discussions on specific issues relating to the development of carbon capture and storage. Officials from the Office of Carbon Capture and Storage met with representatives of a number of CCS project developers recently, including SSE, to discuss the development of the UK CCS Programme and will be holding an Industry Day on 16 December to provide further information on the selection process. We will not be making decisions about which projects to take forward before this process has been completed.

Carbon Sequestration

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much Government funding will be provided for carbon capture and storage demonstration projects in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.

Charles Hendry: We have made it clear that £l billion is available to support CCS projects. We expect projects to come forward in this spending review period and for expenditure to be committed as part of that process. The detailed profile of spend will be determined by the projects selected and when they require funding. We and our partners also expect to invest £l25 million in CCS R&D by 2015.

Carbon Sequestration: Finance

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2011, Official Report, column 211W, on carbon sequestration: finance, when the competition for the carbon capture and storage fund will close; and over what timetable he expects the carbon capture and storage competition fund to be distributed.

Charles Hendry: We will be launching an accelerated process for the selection of CCS projects as soon as possible. The detailed profile of spend will be determined by the projects selected and when they require funding.

Climate Change: International Co-operation

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of the funding he announced for climate finance in Africa in his speech at the Grantham Institute on 24 November 2011 consists of funding previously announced by his Department.

Gregory Barker: I referred to a package of UK support to help Africa adapt to the impacts of climate change and move to low carbon development paths in a speech at the Grantham Institute on 24 November 2011. I announced the full details of this package in Durban on 6 December 2011.
	The package is all funded out of an existing funding commitment—the UK's £2.9 billion International Climate Fund, which was announced in the 2010 spending review.

Climate Change: International Co-operation

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if the funding he announced to finance climate change adaptation and mitigation in his speech at the Grantham Institute on 24 November 2011 will meet the transparency criteria promoted by the International Aid Transparency Initiative.

Gregory Barker: Yes. This Government are committed to being open and transparent on how UK climate finance is spent. I announced a package of programmes to finance climate change adaptation and mitigation in Durban on 6 December. All of the programmes contribute to UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) and information will be published to meet the transparency standards promoted by the International Aid Transparency Initiative.

Climate Change: International Co-operation

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take at the Durban conference on climate change to secure global commitment to the Cancun summit aim of providing US $100 billion funding for climate change adaptation and mitigation in the developing world.

Gregory Barker: The UK has been working with EU member states and international partners at the Durban conference to make progress on long-term climate finance, to ensure that developed countries meet their commitment to mobilise $100 billion of public and private climate finance per year by 2020. Specifically, we aim to make progress on the recommendations of the Advisory Group on Climate Finance (AGF) and are looking to build on the work undertaken by the World Bank for G20 Finance Ministers.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards.

Gregory Barker: DECC receives its catering services through a contract procured by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) labels, which provide information on calories, fats, saturated fats, salt and sugar, are provided on foods and have been rolled out across the DEFRA catering contract, which includes DECC.
	In relation to those DECC non departmental public bodies who have catering contracts:
	the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is planning to implement the labelling of calories on menus in the new year.
	the Coal Authority's external catering services provider is developing menus and display boards for main courses on sale which will show calorie labelling. The menus and display boards will be available in the authority's canteen as from February 2012.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps the food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure the countries of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Gregory Barker: DECC receives its catering services through a contract procured by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The catering contractor has signed up to the industry principles, agreed with DEFRA, for country of origin labelling for meat and dairy products. The country of origin is identified on menus by indicating either UK (British), EU or global.
	In relation to those DECC non-departmental public bodies who have contracts covering catering:
	the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is planning to implement country of origin labelling on menus in the new year; and
	the Coal Authority's food and catering services are provided by an external company under contract. The countries of origin are not displayed. The majority of the food provided is sourced from the United Kingdom. The remainder comprises fresh salad produce, tinned tomatoes and other produce, the origins of which will change during the year.

Departmental Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many flags his Department (a) owns and (b) maintains; and at what cost in the last 12 months.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has one standard Union flag on one of its buildings at 55 Whitehall.
	In the last 12 months, the Department has not incurred any costs in relation to the flag.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what social media presence his Department has.

Gregory Barker: The Department has a social media presence on Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Facebook.

Departmental Internet

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many unique hits his Department's website received in each of the last 12 months.

Gregory Barker: The Department's website’s unique hits for each of the last 12 months are as follows:
	
		
			  Website hits 
			 2011  
			 November 217,726 
			 October 210,974 
			 September 126,156 
			 August 118,362 
			 July 131,992 
			 June 134,867 
			 May 129,014 
			 April 112,181 
			 March 174,855 
			 February 118,218 
			 January 108,999 
			   
			 2010  
			 December 94,428

Departmental Manpower

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff of his Department are aged over (a) 55 and (b) 65 years.

Gregory Barker: As of 30 September 2011, the Department of Energy and Climate Change employed (a) 121 people who are aged over 55 years and (b) less than five who are aged over 65 years.

Departmental Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff in his Department previously worked for a political party.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not hold details of the previous employment of its staff on a central database. To search individual records to find this information would incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people were working for his Department on (a) 11 May 2010 and (b) 8 December 2011.

Gregory Barker: The number of civil servants employed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on specific dates is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Civil servants (including senior civil servants) 
			 31 May 2010 1,018 
			 30 November 2011 1,228 
		
	
	The number shown above are quoted as full-time equivalent.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what receptions and events have been hosted by his Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by a third party.

Gregory Barker: DECC uses a wide range of methods and channels to ensure stakeholders and the public are engaged with its policies. This includes hosting events itself, and where appropriate jointly with stakeholders, across the UK to maximise reach and value for money.
	However, a comprehensive list of all receptions and events hosted by DECC since May 2010 is not held centrally and to assemble the information would entail disproportionate cost.
	Engagement activity including events is reported regularly on the Department's website at
	www.decc.gov.uk

Departmental Pay

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff in his Department receive salaries over £65,000 per year.

Gregory Barker: There were 69 civil servants in the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) receiving a salary of more than £65,000 as at 30 September 2011.
	The salary figures used are base salary and do not include any allowances or non-consolidated performance related pay.

Press Releases

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many press releases his Department has issued in the last 12 months.

Gregory Barker: DECC has issued 115 press releases in the last 12 months.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: As part of its standard terms and conditions, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) requires its suppliers to provide goods and services in accordance with good industry practice and legal requirements. This includes consideration of areas with a social dimension such as health, safety and welfare and the Equality Act.

Policy Reviews

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what departmental policy reviews his Department has undertaken since 6 May 2010; and on what date each such review (a) was announced and (b) is expected to publish its findings.

Gregory Barker: The following table sets out, in order of date announced, the policy reviews announced and undertaken by the Department of Energy and Climate Change since 6 May 2010, the date each was announced, and the date each was published, or is expected to be published.
	
		
			 Policy review Date announced Date published/expected to publish 
			 Review of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme 27 July 2010 Headline results of the review were published in June 2011. A formal consultation on the details will be published in spring 2012. 
			 Review of Climate Change Agreements 27 July 2010 The consultation was published in September 2011 and the Government response is expected in the new year. 
			 Review of Ofgem 27 July 2010 A summary of conclusions was published 19 May 2011. The final report was published 12 July 2011. 
			 Delivery Review 27 July 2010 Published 19 May 2011. 
		
	
	
		
			 Fuel Poverty Review HMG announced a review of the definition of fuel poverty as part of the comprehensive spending review, 20 October 2010. The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change appointed Professor Hills to carry out a review of the current definition of fuel poverty on 14 March 2011. Professor Hills published his Interim Report 19 October 2011. The final report is due to be presented to Government in early 2012. 
			 Review of the Feed-in Tariffs Scheme 7 February 2011 Findings on the fast-track element of the review were published on 9 June 2011. Overall findings from the comprehensive review will be announced during the first half of 2012. 
			 Low Carbon Innovation Delivery Review 21 March 2011 Outcomes will be published on the DECC website prior to the new year.

Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's policy is on mandatory drug testing of its employees.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have a policy of undertaking mandatory drug testing of its employees.

Drugs: Offences

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials of his Department have been disciplined for drug offences in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Gregory Barker: There have been no cases in the last 12 months where employees of the Department of Energy and Climate Change have been subject to disciplinary procedures for drugs offences.

Energy: Meters

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to encourage the uptake of smart meter time-of-use tariffs.

Gregory Barker: The Government’s smart meter technical specifications will mandate energy suppliers to install meters with the functionality to support a range of time-of-use tariffs.
	Planned changes to the settlement system together with half-hourly data from smart meter readings will enable energy suppliers to benefit to a greater extent from lower wholesale market prices during periods of off-peak demand. We expect suppliers to incentivise customers to shift energy demand to off-peak periods through developing and promoting attractive time-of-use tariffs.

Energy: Pensioners

Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners who will receive the guaranteed £120 rebate on their energy bills under the warm home discount scheme in each (a) region, (b) local authority and (c) parliamentary constituency.

Gregory Barker: More than 600,000 of the poorest pensioners will receive a core group discount of £120 on their electricity bills this winter. Regional, local authority, or constituency breakdowns for these data are not available.

Energy: Prisons

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the number of jobs that would be created in the energy efficiency sector if all prisons were upgraded to an Energy Performance Certificate grade (a) A, (b) B and (c) C level.

Gregory Barker: We estimate that Government programmes to promote energy efficiency in homes, businesses and the public sector will support 65,000 insulation sector jobs in 2015. However, job creation figures specific to energy efficiency improvements in the prison sector are not available.

Green Deal Scheme

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2011, Official Report, column 338W, on energy: housing, for what reason the recommendations of his Department’s joint working group with the Ministry of Defence on improving the energy efficiency of service family accommodation were not set out in the consultation document on the Green Deal published this autumn.

Gregory Barker: The two Departments are still considering whether Green Deal can work in the particular context of service family accommodation, and the alternatives that may be available if not. We were therefore unable to include recommendations in the consultation document, but we will confirm the recommendations next year. None the less, in the consultation, we welcome any comments on the impact of Green Deal and the ECO on particular groups.

Green Deal Scheme

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with the Green Deal Finance Company consortium on the potential for Green Deal-backed securities to reduce the cost of Green Deal finance.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and I met with representatives from the Green Deal Finance Company on 2 November 2011 to understand their proposals for providing low cost finance to Green Deal Providers. The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change also spoke by phone to a member of the consortium on 24 November 2011 following the launch of the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation consultation.

Green Deal Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what reason he has set the period for the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation consultation at eight weeks.

Gregory Barker: The consultation length was set for eight weeks on the basis of careful consideration. The tight timetable for delivering the Green Deal legal framework to provide business certainty was the primary reason. This has been accompanied by a comprehensive stakeholder engagement programme in advance of and during the consultation.
	In line with best practice, we are also providing additional means for people to express their views, including a dedicated phone line, postal address, e-mail address, blog with commenting function and web chat with officials.

Nuclear Installations: EU Law

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to implement European Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom of 25 June 2009 establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations; what steps he has taken in response to infringement proceedings by the European Commission against the UK for non-compliance with Directive 2009/71/Euratom; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The UK notified the European Commission (EC) on 19 July 2011 that we had given effect to the Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom using the existing UK regulatory regime. The EC has sought further information on two aspects of the UK's implementation—the provision of a correlation table and the implementation of the provisions in Gibraltar. A correlation table was provided on 19 July 2011 even though the directive does not require it. We are liaising with the Gibraltarian Government to ensure the necessary legislation is put in place even though there are no nuclear facilities on Gibraltar to which this directive would apply. It is expected that this work will be completed in early 2012. The UK Government will shortly be writing to the EC to confirm that a correlation table has already been provided and to inform it of progress with implementation in Gibraltar.

Nuclear Power

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the potential costs to (a) his Department and (b) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority of information gathering on (i) the market for mixed oxide fuel, (ii) the availability of reactors in which it can be burned and (iii) the costs and timescales for procuring services or facilities.

Charles Hendry: Support to the Government on the development of policy on plutonium management is part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's (NDA) approved strategy. It is estimated that DECC and the NDA will spend around £3 million to £5 million to gather all of the information required throughout the next phases of the programme. Costs are anticipated to be met from within the existing budgets.

Renewable Energy

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to promote (a) anaerobic digestion and (b) small hydro developments in Wales.

Gregory Barker: We are promoting anaerobic digestion and hydropower across the UK, including Wales, through the provision of financial incentives.
	We are supporting (a) anaerobic digestion through the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme and the renewables obligation (RO) which support small scale and large scale electricity generation respectively; and the renewable heat incentive (RHI) which supports the production of heat and the injection of biomethane into the gas grid.
	We are supporting the development of (b) small hydropower in Wales through FITs (<50kWs) and through FITs and the RO (>50kWs). Since 2009 the number of new hydro schemes licensed in Wales has increased nearly three times.
	In addition, DECC continues to work closely with the Environment Agency, which has streamlined its permitting process and is reviewing its Good Practice Guide. DECC is consulting, before the end of this year, on accreditation for those small hydro schemes seeking access to feed-in tariffs. DECC also provides updated information on a range of alternative funding models for community hydro projects on DECC's “Community Energy Online”:
	http://ceo.decc.gov.uk/en/ceol/cms/about_ceih/economics_ fund/economics_fund.aspx
	Additionally, in January 2010, the Welsh Government launched the Ynni'r Fro programme, a scheme to support community scale renewable energy projects in Wales. So far, the programme has supported eight anaerobic digestion and 65 hydro projects in Wales. The Environment Agency Wales and the Forestry Commission Wales have both carried out detailed surveys of potential hydro sites in Wales. This information is being utilised by the Ynni'r Fro team to match up the sites with communities interested in taking hydro schemes forward.

Renewable Energy

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with private sector firms on proposals to develop (a) tidal power, (b) shale gas and (c) nuclear power in Wales.

Charles Hendry: All formal ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and can be found on the Department’s website via the following link:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/ministermtgs/ministermtgs.aspx

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the cost per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions saved through the feed-in tariff system in 2010-11.

Gregory Barker: We cannot currently make this estimate, as generation data for Year 1 of the FITs scheme have not yet been collated by Ofgem.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what proportion of the spending envelope for the feed-in tariff for each year of the current spending review period is allocated to projects accredited between 1 April 2010 and 31 October 2011;
	(2)  what proportion of the spending envelope for the feed-in tariff for each year of the current spending review period is allocated for new projects accredited in that year.

Gregory Barker: New installations in any year are not specifically allocated a proportion of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) budget. The available amount in the budget for new installations in any year is impossible to predict in advance, as it will depend on the level of installations in previous years. This is because the budget is cumulative, and must cover the cost of projects accredited in previous years of the scheme as well as new projects.
	We estimate the proportion of the levies control framework spending envelope taken up by projects accredited up to 31 October to be as follows:
	
		
			 Costs to consumers 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Total 
			 £ million, nominal undiscounted      
			 FITs costs (rounded) 110 215 220 230 775 
			 FITs budget (revised) 94 196 328 446 1,064 
			 Costs as percentage of revised budget (rounded) 120 110 65 50 70 
			 FITs budget (original) 80 161 269 357 867 
			 Costs as percentage of original budget (rounded) 140 135 80 65 90 
		
	
	The table above shows the committed spend on FITs as a proportion of both the original and revised FITs spending limits. The spending limit for FITs as originally published—the fourth line of the table—referred to projected additional expenditure over and above the baseline of installations of less than 5 MW that would have been deployed in the absence of the FITs scheme (because some of those small-scale installations would have come forward under the renewables obligation (RO)).
	In the revised estimate of the FITs spending limit—the second line of the table—that baseline has been incorporated into the spending limit for FITs, as we judge that the small scale installations are more likely to take up FITs in preference to the RO. The effect of this adjustment is to increase the FITs spending envelope (as shown in the table) and reduce the RO spending envelope by the same amount, compared with the original spending limits published for each scheme. This is a technical adjustment to the published spending limits which merely provides a more accurate picture of the money that was always available for each of the two schemes. We have not made more subsidy available overall, but DECC still has flexibility on how it meets the overall levies control framework as long as expenditure as a whole is controlled i.e. overspend on one policy can be balanced by underspend in another.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to publish his Department's response to the comprehensive feed-in tariff review phase 1.

Gregory Barker: We plan to announce the outcome of the current consultation on feed-in tariffs for solar photovoltaics towards the end of January, and by 8 February 2012 at the latest, in order to make it possible to change rates from 1 April 2012. We are aware that the industry needs certainty as soon as possible, and will strive to announce at the earliest opportunity.

Solar Power

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people employed by solar photovoltaic manufacturing companies based in the UK.

Gregory Barker: It is difficult to accurately estimate, and forecast, number of jobs associated with any single technology or sector, such as solar PV. However, there are a range of methodologies that can, and are, being used to provide an indication; these inevitably lead to a range of estimates being calculated.
	We estimate that, based on the number of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations by the end of October 2011, around 8,000 to 14,000 gross full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs have been supported by solar PV since the introduction of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme. The total number of people doing some solar PV work is likely to be higher than this range because those who are involved in solar PV installations are also likely to undertake other tasks linked to their employment. In addition, this estimate includes manufacturing jobs among a range of other types.

Solar Power

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 44W, on solar power: feed-in tariffs, what the evidential basis is for the estimate that 1,000 to 10,000 gross additional full-time equivalent jobs could be created in the solar sector in the three years to 2014-15.

Gregory Barker: It is difficult to accurately estimate, and forecast, numbers of jobs associated with any single technology or sector, such as solar PV. However, there are a range of methodologies that can, and are, being used to provide an indication, although these inevitably lead to a range of estimates being calculated.
	The range of 1,000 to 10,000 gross full-time equivalent jobs supported by solar PV is calculated by applying estimates of the time taken for various tasks associated with those installations by industry and independent consultants to projected installations between 2012-13 and 2014-15. They are then converted to a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis. The wide range around the estimate is largely due to the uncertainty surrounding how the energy efficiency proposals could affect future take-up of solar PV.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households and businesses in each region of the UK have installed solar panels utilising the Government-subsidised feed-in tariff scheme.

Gregory Barker: The number of domestic and non-domestic solar photovoltaic (PV) installations registered for feed-in tariffs by region, as at end of September 2011(1), are:
	
		
			 Region Domestic PV installations Percentage of domestic PV installations Non-domestic (3)  PV installations Percentage non-domestic PV installations 
			 East Midlands 6,943 9 107 7 
			 East of England 9,470 12 127 9 
			 London 2,364 3 103 7 
			 North East 1,532 2 54 4 
			 North West 5,042 7 102 7 
			 South East 14,642 19 168 12 
			 South West 14,251 19 271 19 
			 West Midlands 5,311 7 135 9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 8,471 11 86 6 
			      
			 England 68,026 88 1,153 80 
			 Wales 4,135 5 88 6 
			 Scotland 4,221 5 56 4 
			 Unallocated(2) 584 1 148 10 
			      
			 Total 76,966 100 1,445 100 
			 (1) Data are sourced from the Central FIT Register maintained by Ofgem. The register is continually being updated and revised, so statistical reports extracted at a later date may not exactly match the totals presented here. Local authority data can be found on the DECC website http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/source/electricity/electricity.aspx titled ‘Feed-in Tariff Capacity (ET5.6)’. (2) Schemes that could not be allocated at local authority level. (3) Non-domestic installations include industrial, commercial and community installations.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, columns 315-6W, on renewable energy: feed-in tariffs, if he will make it his policy to ensure that all solar PV installations with a commissioning date before 12 December 2011 are eligible for the existing tariff level.

Gregory Barker: An installation becomes eligible for feed-in tariffs (FITs) from its eligibility date. The term “eligibility date” is defined in condition 33 of the standard conditions of electricity supply licences, and is the latter of either:
	(a) the date on which the installation is commissioned; or
	(b) the date on which a valid application for FITs has been received by either Ofgem (in the case of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations with a declared net capacity of over 50kW) or a FIT licensee (in the case of solar PV installations with a declared net capacity of up to 50kW).
	Our consultation on FITs for solar photovoltaics (PV) proposes that new tariffs will be implemented from 1 April 2012 but will apply to all new PV installations with an eligibility date on or after a proposed “reference date” of 12 December 2011. For the majority of solar PV installations, the eligibility date will be the date on which a valid application is received by the FITs licensee, normally the applicant's electricity supplier.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2011, Official Report, column 616W, on feed-in tariffs, whether the second consultation on the comprehensive review will seek views on further changes to feed-in tariffs for solar PV.

Gregory Barker: Phase 2 of the consultation on the comprehensive review will consider all non-solar photovoltaic tariffs and administrative aspects of the feed-in tariffs scheme, including potential cost control measures for all technologies.

Taxation: Nuclear Power

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential introduction of a tax on the revenue generated by nuclear power stations.

Charles Hendry: Tax is a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. DECC Ministers have regular conversations with HM Treasury Ministers on a wide range of issues. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of such discussions.

UK Global Threat Reduction Programme

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has contributed to the UK Global Threat Reduction Programme in each of the last three financial years; on what aspects of the programme such contributions are spent; and what the programme has published in each of the last three financial years.

Charles Hendry: The UK Global Threat Reduction Programme (GTRP) forms an important element of the UK's counter-proliferation strategy. It delivers the UK contribution to the G8 Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, a $20 billion ten-year programme agreed at the G8 Summit at Kananaskis, Canada in 2002 with an initial focus on the nuclear and chemical weapons legacies of the former Soviet Union.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is responsible for implementing the nuclear and radiological parts of the GTRP. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) manages the chemical and biological elements of the programme. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) holds the overall policy responsibility.
	For each of the last three financial years (2008-09; 2009-10; 2010-11) the GTRP had a ring fenced budget of £36.5 million per annum, allocated to DECC for both the DECC and MOD programmes. In 2010-11 DECC contributed an additional £9 million to GTRP, in order that the UK fully met its share of the G8 pledge to the April 2011 Chernobyl pledging conference.
	Over the course of the Global Partnership, the UK has developed a mature portfolio of programmes aimed at:
	improving the security of nuclear materials;
	dealing with the Soviet nuclear submarine legacy in North West Russia;
	the destruction of Russia's chemical weapons stocks;
	reducing the proliferation risk posed by unemployed former Soviet nuclear weapon scientists by supporting the creation of alternative sustainable employment.
	Further details of the annual expenditure breakdown across all GTRP programmes can be found in the GTRP annual reports for 2008 (published spring 2009), 2009 (published spring 2010) and 2010 (published spring 2011), copies of which were placed in the House Library and which can also be found on the DECC website:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/en_security/nonprolif/global_threat/global_threat.aspx
	In addition to these three annual reports, in late 2009, DECC published a completion report on its Nuclear Safety Programme, which closed in early 2009. In spring 2010 DECC published the findings of an independent external impact evaluation of the UK-funded “Social and Economic Consequences of Nuclear Power Plant Closure” programme, which closed in 2007. Both these reports are available online at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/en_security/nonprolif/global_threat/reports/reports.aspx

WORK AND PENSIONS

Apprentices

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of 16 to 24-year-olds likely to participate in the Youth Contract in (a) the East Midlands and (b) Leicester City.

Chris Grayling: Over the coming weeks we will be working with Work programme providers, employers and key stakeholders to develop the detail of the recently announced Youth Contract.
	Overall the Youth Contract will provide:
	160,000 wage incentives, worth £2,275 each, available through the Work programme;
	an extra 250,000 work experience or sector-based work academy places over the next three years, taking the total to at least 100,000 a year;
	at least 20,000 extra incentive payments worth £1,500 each for employers to take on young people as apprentices;
	extra support through Jobcentre Plus for all 18 to 24-year-olds; and
	a new £150 million programme to provide support to some of our most vulnerable 16 to 17-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training.
	No estimates for participation at local levels have yet been made.

Departmental Assets

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assets his Department owns in Birmingham; and what is the estimated value of each such asset.

Chris Grayling: This response is based on the definition of assets referring to departmental buildings and their contents. Since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) occupies the majority of its accommodation across the country under a 20-year private finance initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract. Under the terms of this PFI the Department leases back fully furnished and serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. This covers a variety of building and facility management services. Therefore, the Department does not own building assets in Birmingham, or in any other part of the country.

Design Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on design in respect of (a) logos, (b) buildings, (c) advertising, (d) stationery and (e) campaigns in the last year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: DWP spent £1,614,326 in 2010-11 on design, editorial and branding with regard to publicity and marketing carried out by DWP Communications.
	In respect of buildings design, since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions occupies the majority of its accommodation under a private finance initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract. Under the terms of this PFI the Department leases back fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. This covers the provision of a variety of building and facility management services including the capital expenditure projects (CAPEX) where buildings require alterations to meet changing business requirements. Telereal Trillium's estimate of design costs incurred on CAPEX projects during 2010-11 is £900,000 excluding VAT.

Departmental Information Communications

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Since the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr Weir) on 9 February 2011, Official Report, columns 318-19W, the Department has reduced communications staff by 24%. As a minimum the number will reduce by a further 13% by March 2015.
	
		
			 Department for Work and Pensions Communications Directorate (1) 
			  Number 
			 Press Officers (including Regional Press) 21 
			 Internal Communications Officers 47 
			 External Communications Officers 4 
			 Other positions with a communications remit 40 
			 (1) These figures include JCP and PDCS staff who have now transferred to the Communications Directorate. 
		
	
	
		
			 Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission 
			  Number 
			 Press Officers 3 
			 Internal Communications Officers 9 
			 External Communications Officers 4 
			 Communications Strategy Officers 8 
			 Other positions with a communications remit 10 
		
	
	
		
			 Health and Safety Executive 
			  Number 
			 Press Officers 7 
			 Internal Communications Officers 7 
			 External Communications Officers (1,) ( ) (2)12 
			 Communications Strategy Officers 5 
		
	
	
		
			 Other positions with a communications remit 1 
			 (1) Of which one is an interim. (2) Includes newly created Office for Nuclear Regulation Communications function. 
		
	
	
		
			 Independent Living Fund 
			  Number 
			 Press Officers 0 
			 Internal Communications Officers 1 
			 External Communications Officers 2 
			 Communications Strategy Officers 1 
			 Other positions with a communications remit 0 
		
	
	
		
			 National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Corporation 
			  Number 
			 Press Officers 3 
			 Internal Communications Officers 0 
			 External Communications Officers (1)19 
			 Communications Strategy Officers 3 
			 Other positions with a communications remit 14 
			 (1) Including four interims. 
		
	
	
		
			 Pension Protection Fund 
			  Number 
			 Press Officers 2 
			 Internal Communications Officers 2 
			 External Communications Officers 2 
			 Communications Strategy Officers 0 
			 Other positions with a communications remit 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Remploy Ltd 
			  Note 
			 Press Officers 2 
			 Internal Communications Officers 1 
			 External Communications Officers 3 
			 Communications Strategy Officers 2 
			 Other positions with a communications remit 2 
		
	
	
		
			 The Pensions Regulator 
			  Number 
			 Press Officers 4 
			 Internal Communications Officers 2 
			 External Communications Officers (1)12 
			 Communications Strategy Officers 2 
			 Other positions with a communications remit (1)6 
			 (1 )Plus two non-payroll staff

Departmental Pay

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse was of Christmas bonus payments in each of the last five years; and what proportion was spent on administration of the payment.

Steve Webb: Christmas bonus expenditure for the last five years is shown in the following table.
	The amounts shown exclude the cost of administrating the Christmas bonus payment as this information is not available; the table only shows the actual money paid to customers.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Christmas bonus—contributory 126 127 823 121 122 
			 Christmas bonus—non-contributory 19 20 221 32 32 
			 Total 145 147 1,044 154 155 
			 Notes: 1. Christmas bonus was increased to £70 in 2008-09, for one year only; in all other years it was £10. 2. The majority of Christmas bonus payments are made with a qualifying benefit and, as such, it is not possible to disaggregate the administration cost. However, these costs are minimal as the significant majority of payments are automated. Source: DWP statistical and accounting data.

Departmental Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any senior staff in (a) his Department and (b) its Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary; and if he will publish his policy on such payments.

Chris Grayling: The Department’s policy is that salaries are paid into employees’ bank accounts.
	Some agency workers are deployed to provide short-term cover for absence or as specialist contractors providing specific expertise that is not available in-house and in these cases, payments may be made to limited companies in lieu of a salary.
	There are currently three senior staff (senior civil service level) working in the Department on an agency basis, one in DWP and two in the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, who are paid via Capita Resourcing Ltd. Capita Resourcing Ltd provides a managed service under contract for the supply of contingent labour to DWP and other Government Departments.
	In the Office for Nuclear Regulation, an internal agency of the Health and Safety Executive, two senior staff are paid by means of payments to limited companies in lieu of a salary.

Procurement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Work and Pensions have specifically outsourced the following services:
	
		
			 Contract identifier Contract name Service description Year 
			 UI_DWP_001104 Fleet Lease and Management Official vehicle fleet including private user scheme vehicles and associated fleet management services 2007 
			 UI_DWP_000281 Print and Associated Services Solution(PASS) Managed in a number of towers ranging from stationery to leaflets and core print services 2007 
			 UI_DWP_000031 Contract for the provision of Temporary Workers Agency, temporary admin and clerical personnel (via a master vendor service) 2007 
			 UI_DWP_000022 Occupational Health Framework Job assessment/ placement—mandatory referrals, work placement, pre-recruitment checks, attendance management, case conferences, physiotherapy advice 2008 
			 UI_DWP_000024 Nursery Service In-house nursery provision for use by DWP and Department of Health staff at Quarry House 2008 
			 UI_DWP_000026 Evaluation for Senior Staff Job Evaluation for Senior Staff (Jobcentre Plus) 2008 
			 UI_DWP_000027 Employee Assistance Programme Counselling, Legal and Financial Helpline services for DWP employees 2005 
			 UI_DWP_000029 Salary Sacrifice Scheme Tax efficient child care voucher service 2007 
			 UI_DWP_000032 Legal Services Legal advice and guidance to the Estates function 2008 
			 UI_DWP_000033 Legal Services Legal advice and guidance in respect of commercial legal issues 2008 
			 UI_DWP_000036 Medical Advice to Staff Retiring on Medical Grounds Provision of medical advice to staff retiring on medical grounds 2009 
			 UI_DWP_000038 Outplacement Support Advice and guidance for employees leaving as part of a management approved voluntary early release scheme 2009 
			 UI_DWP_000039 Legal Advice Legal advice and guidance to the Corporate IT function in respect of IT contracts 2008 
			 UI_DWP_000040 Well-being and Productivity Management Online well-being assessment and launch events 2009 
			 UI_DWP_000044 Reward and Recognition Scheme Provision of small value reward scheme 2010 
			 UI_DWP_000046 Legal Services Business Support, HR Services and Legal Service for Employment Law 2010 
			 UI_DWP_002009 Westminster Play scheme Play scheme provision in Westminster 2010 
			 UI_DWP_002012 Temporary Administrative Staff Temporary Admin and Clerical Personnel 2010 
			 UI_DWP_000025 Nursery Service In House Nursery Glasgow BDC 2008 
			 Various Learning and Development Services Multiple contracts for the delivery of staff learning and development training(1) 2006 
			 (1) Learning and Development contracts—some of this provision may have been previously delivered in-house, some will have been traditionally delivered by an external supplier (outsourced). It is not possible to determine without examining each case in consultation with the business customer and/or HR.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Internal audit services in the Department and its public bodies work to the Government Internal Audit Standards (GIAS), which are mandatory for all central Government Departments, agencies and executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). These are published on the HM Treasury website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/internalaudit_gias_0211.pdf
	This framework applies to in-house internal audit services, shared services and to outsourced arrangements, and requires that:
	the chief audit executive must establish risk-based plans to determine the priorities of the internal audit activity, consistent with the organisation's goals (Standard 2010);
	the internal audit activity's plan of engagements must be based on a documented risk assessment, undertaken at least annually. The input of senior management and the board must be considered in this process (Standard 2010.A1);
	the chief audit executive must identify and consider the expectations of senior management, the board and other stakeholders for internal audit opinions and other conclusions (Standard 2010.A2); and
	the chief audit executive should consider accepting proposed consulting engagements based on the engagement's potential to improve management of risks, add value and improve the organisation's operations. Accepted engagements must be included in the plan (Standard 2010.C1).

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: As part of the commissioning process, all contracts above £10,000 in value are advertised on Contracts Finder with those suitable for small and medium enterprises and voluntary organisations identified accordingly.
	The Department, and its public bodies, consider social value in the initial stages of commissioning services by using sustainable procurement risk assessment methodology (SPRAM).
	SPRAM is mandatory for all new contracts and considers the impact of diversity and equality, people with disabilities, the use of supported factories and businesses, the suitability of small and medium enterprises and voluntary organisations and questions whether or not there are unacceptable labour standards in the supply chain.
	Where relevant and proportionate, social value factors can be scored as part of the evaluation process during the commissioning phase. Following contract award, suppliers are asked to complete periodical returns demonstrating how they have implemented those social value aspects of the contract they are delivering.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what risk registers are held by the public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The risk registers held by the public bodies for which my Department is responsible are shown as follows:
	Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission
	There is an overarching risk register for each directorate within the commission.
	Health and Safety Executive
	Health and Safety Executive holds a corporate risk register which is supported by subsidiary project and directorate risk registers as appropriate.
	Independent Living Fund
	The Independent Living Fund maintains a number of risk registers:
	a strategic risk register;
	five internal directorate risk registers; and
	project risk registers.
	National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Corporation
	National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) Corporation maintains two risk registers. The principal register supports the identification and management of all business and delivery risks within the organisation. The second register is focused on NEST Corporation's information security risks.
	Pensions o mbudsman
	The pensions ombudsman has the following risk registers:
	operational risk register; and a
	strategic risk register.
	Pension Protection Fund
	Pension Protection Fund has the following registers:
	Risk Universe;
	team risk registers;
	information risk registers;
	key process risk registers;
	topic-based risk registers;
	financial risk register;
	project risk registers; and a
	tri-partite risk register.
	Remploy Ltd
	Remploy Ltd has:
	a strategic risk framework (register);
	high level business risk frameworks; and
	individual business and departmental registers.
	The Pensions Advisory Service
	The Pensions Advisory Service has the following risk registers:
	corporate risk register;
	pensions risk register;
	service area risk registers; and
	project risk registers for major projects.
	The Pensions Regulator
	The Pensions Regulator has one risk register.

Employment and Support Allowance: Expenditure

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the projection made by the Office for Budget Responsibility that expenditure on employment and support allowance will be £1 billion more than previously expected by 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The new projections made by the Office for Budget Responsibility of employment and support allowance (ESA) expenditure reflect the latest data on the number of claimants assessed as fit for work, the most up to date assumptions on the composition of the caseload and the number of new claims.

Employment and Support Allowance: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in Peterborough constituency currently in receipt of employment and support allowance in the Work Related Activity Group with a prognosis of six months are being migrated into work; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Department regularly publishes National Statistics which provide information on the caseloads of various different benefits to the constituency level. This information can be found by using the tabulation tool (‘Tabtool’) on the departmental website here:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
	The Tabtool shows that as at May 2011, the latest data available, there were 1,620 people on employment and support allowance in the Peterborough parliamentary constituency and of these, 550 were in the Work Related Activity Group.
	Information on the prognosis given by the Atos Healthcare Professional following the work capability assessment is available for claims flowing on to employment and support allowance by local authority area rather than parliamentary constituency. Note that on-flow figures are not directly comparable to the caseload figures provided above.
	Between March 2010 and February 2011 (the most recent period for which data are available) there were 2,090 new claims for employment and support allowance (ESA) in the Peterborough local authority area. Of these 530 went into the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) following the initial work capability assessment. Of those claims going into the WRAG, 140 (26%) were given a prognosis of three months, 260 (49%) had a prognosis of six months and the remaining 130 (25%) were given a prognosis of 12 months or longer.
	This information is taken from administrative data held by DWP, and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	ESA claimants in the WRAG will have the opportunity to join the Work programme, when the outcome from their work capability assessment is known. The Work programme was launched on 10 June 2011 and is now in place nationally. This is the biggest single payment by results employment programme Great Britain has ever seen, providing personalised support to an expected 2.4 million claimants over the next seven years.
	Information on the numbers leaving ESA to move into work is not currently available. The Work programme has only been in place for six months, and the measures of its success are long term. The Department is closely monitoring all aspects of the Work programme, and will publish this information as soon as reliable and meaningful data are available, in accordance with guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority. Official statistics on referrals will be available from spring 2012, and on job outcomes from autumn 2012.

Employment Schemes

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average duration of work experience placements has been since January 2011.

Chris Grayling: This information is not available. Work experience placements are expected to last for a period of between two and eight weeks, with an optional extension to up to 12 weeks if the employer decides they would like to offer the participant an apprenticeship and that offer is accepted.

Employment Schemes

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure Prime Contractors to the Work programme are using the Compact with the voluntary sector in their discussions with subcontractors from the voluntary sector; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The principles of the Compact have been taken forward through the Code of Conduct which underpins the DWP Commissioning Strategy. These principles are further embedded through the Merlin Standard which all Work programme providers are required to achieve as a condition of their contracts. Merlin assessments will take place from spring 2012 and biannually thereafter.
	The Merlin Standard will require that all subcontractors are treated fairly in their dealings with Prime Contractors and that supply chains remain robust and healthy. Primes that do not fulfil their obligations will be subject to action for breach of contract and may lose their contracts.

Employment Schemes

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people in (a) the East Midlands and (b) Leicester City have participated in the work experience programme.

Chris Grayling: Details of the number of young people who have participated in work experience from the East Midlands region, and Leicestershire parliamentary constituencies is available and shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Work experience participants up to August 2011 
			  Number 
			 East Midlands region 1,270 
			 Leicester East 60 
			 Leicester South 70 
			 Leicester West 60 
			 North West Leicestershire 30 
		
	
	
		
			 South Leicestershire 20 
			 Notes: 1. Data source—DWP LMS opportunities evaluation database September 2011. 2. Due to data protection protocols, any figures above 10 are rounded to the nearest 10. Due to rounding, totals may not be the sum of the individual cells. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Labour Market Interventions Strategy Division.

Employment Schemes

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many young people (a) were referred to and (b) took up work experience placements in each month since January 2011.

Chris Grayling: Figures are not available for the number of young people referred to work experience.
	The most recent statistics for work experience starts were published on 16 November 2011, for the period January to August 2011. There have been a total of 16,360 work experience starts between January and August 2011. A breakdown of this information can be found in the following table:
	
		
			 Work e xperience starts 
			 2011 Number 
			 January 60 
			 February 290 
			 March 980 
			 April 1,350 
			 May 2,210 
			 June 3,150 
			 July 3,830 
			 August 4,520 
			 Notes: 1. Values are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Values less than 10 are suppressed and marked with a dash. 3. Due to rounding totals may not be the sum of the individual cells. 4. Months are calendar months. Source: DWP LMS opportunities evaluation database September 2011.

Employment Schemes

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many 16 to 24 year olds in (a) the East Midlands and (b) Leicester City have found sustainable employment following participation in the work experience programme.

Chris Grayling: This information is unavailable. However recent early analysis, based on a national sample of 1,300 participants, indicates that less than half of participants are claiming working age benefits after 13 weeks of starting a work experience placement.

Enterprise Allowance Scheme

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people registered as unemployed who are eligible for the enterprise allowance (a) in Merseyside and (b) nationally.

Chris Grayling: The new enterprise allowance is available to unemployed people aged 18 and above who have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) for six months or more and who are not on the Work programme.
	In October, there were 11,010 people in Merseyside and 314,355 nationally aged over 18 who had been claiming JSA for six months or more. These figures include claimants who may have been referred to the Work programme and are therefore higher than the number of people actually eligible.

Housing Benefit

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many social tenants he estimates will lose some housing benefit because they are under-occupying their home; and how many and what proportion of these he expects to be (a) pensioners and (b) disabled people.

Steve Webb: From April 2013 we intend to restrict housing benefit for working-age claimants living in the social rented sector where the claimant and the claimant's household under-occupy their accommodation.
	We estimate that approximately 670,000 housing benefit claimants are likely to be affected by the introduction of size criteria in the social rented sector, and experience reductions in housing benefit as a result.
	A breakdown of the categories of working age households affected is included in the equality impact assessment of the social sector size criteria, published to accompany the Welfare Reform Bill.
	The equality impact assessment can be found at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf
	Notes:
	1. For housing benefit, the threshold between working-age and pension-age is determined by reference to the qualifying age for state pension credit. This is linked to planned changes in the state pension age for women.
	2. Exceptionally, a pensioner may choose to claim a working-age benefit, such as income-based jobseeker's allowance, rather than claiming pension credit. In these situations the claimant would be assessed in line with the working-age rules for housing benefit.
	3. Alternative definitions of disability would produce differing estimates of the number of disabled households affected by the social sector size criteria.

Housing Benefit

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of fathers aged (a) 16 to 24 and (b) 25 to 34 who will be affected by the extension of the shared accommodation rate of local housing allowance.

Steve Webb: The shared accommodation rate already applies to single people under 25, so no fathers aged 16 to 24 will be affected by the change in the age threshold.
	It is estimated that around 10,000 of the people affected by the extension of the shared accommodation rate are non-resident parents who have some contact, although not necessarily overnight contact, with children who live elsewhere.
	All of these are aged 25 to 34, and most are fathers. This excludes parents who do not currently have any contact with their children.
	Source:
	DWP analysis of Single Housing Benefit Extract, 2008/09 Family Resources Survey and 2008 Families and Children Survey. This estimate is based on a small number of sample survey cases and is subject to a large degree of uncertainty.

Housing Benefit: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many recipients of local housing allowance (LHA) in Wales the level of payment will change if (a) LHA rates are set at the 30th percentile of local market rents and (b) LHA levels are restricted to the four bedroom rate; and what proportion of those affected will be women.

Steve Webb: Estimates of the numbers affected in Wales by the local housing allowance (LHA) changes are published on the Department for Work and Pensions website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/impacts-of-hb-proposals.pdf
	(Table 16 shows the impact of setting LHA rates at the 30th percentile, and Table 20 shows the impact of restricting LHA levels).
	Estimates of the proportion of those affected in Wales who are women are not available. The published Equality Impact Assessment for the measures shows the estimated proportions affected by gender for Great Britain. This is available at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/lha-eia-nov10.pdf
	(Annex E, Table 25 shows the impact of setting LHA rates at the 30th percentile, and Annex D, Table 20 shows the impact of restricting LHA levels).

Incapacity Benefit: Aberdeen

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the results of the incapacity benefit reassessment pilots in Aberdeen and Burnley informed the recalculation of the future costs of employment and support allowance reported at the Autumn Statement by the Office for Budget Responsibility; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The first stage of incapacity benefit reassessment began in October 2010 with a trial involving 1,700 customers from the Burnley and Aberdeen benefit centres. This trial was designed to provide early indicators about customer and staff reactions to the reassessment process.
	The data from the trial influenced changes to the initial assumptions for IB reassessment used in the expenditure forecasts. The trial results suggested the fit for work rate was higher than originally assumed. Additionally, a higher proportion of claimants being moved on to ESA were placed in the support group than initially assumed. However, the trial data need to be used with caution as they may not reflect the national picture. We will continue to monitor the assumptions used in the expenditure forecasts as more data become available.

Income Support: Mortgages

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of expenditure on support for mortgage interest for people who receive employment and support allowance in the (a) Support Group, (b) Work Related Activity Group and (c) Assessment Phase in each financial year to 2015-16.

Chris Grayling: The following table shows forecasts of housing requirements. Housing requirements include support for mortgage interest and other housing elements not included in housing benefit.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 
			 Assessment 1 17 22 22 25 18 17 18 21 
			 WRAG 0 8 21 30 44 52 55 63 71 
			 SG 0 2 6 11 22 27 28 32 39 
			 Total 1 28 49 64 92 97 100 113 131

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Young People

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of introducing weekly signing for all 18 to 24-year-olds on jobseeker's allowance from the fifth month of their claim.

Chris Grayling: The cost of providing weekly signing was included as part of a package of support within the Youth Contract that is expected to cost nearly £1 billion over the next three years. The final costs for weekly signing will be driven by the volume of claimants and the Department for Work and Pensions does not forecast unemployment levels.

National Benefit Fraud Hotline

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many referrals through the National Benefit Fraud Hotline were made by hon. Members in each of the last five years; and how many investigations were launched as a result of such referrals.

Chris Grayling: All information received by the Department in relation to an allegation of benefit fraud, including that received through the National Benefit Fraud Hotline (NBFH) is treated as confidential. All referrals to the NBFH are therefore anonymised so the information requested is not kept by the Department.

Older Workers: East Midlands

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the Youth Contract on older employees in (a) East Midlands and (b) Leicester City.

Chris Grayling: Our existing programmes will be supporting up to 350,000 young people over the next two years, but we recognise that the current economic situation means that some young people are still finding that getting work is not easy. The Youth Contract is being introduced with the aim of getting more young people involved in meaningful jobs and training early in their working lives to ensure that they are not left behind.
	This renewed effort is not expected to be to the detriment of older workers, and we will continue to offer a full and effective package of support to help older unemployed people through a range of flexible support offered by Jobcentre Plus. For those at risk of long-term unemployment there is the Work programme, and for those interested in setting up a business there is the new enterprise allowance.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department plans to participate in the April 2012 pilot of PAYE real time information; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: DWP has been working closely with HMRC to ensure readiness for the implementation of PAYE real time information. DWP's intention is to participate during the pilot year but will not be part of the initial pilot. HMRC has confirmed that there is sufficient employer representation for the pilot at April 2012.

Poverty: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who would be living in poverty (a) before and (b) after housing costs in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15 on the basis of (i) the policies in place prior to the Autumn Statement and (ii) implementation of those policies.

Maria Miller: The Government have not forecast how many children they expect to be in poverty before and after the introduction of the policies announced in the autumn statement for each year to 2014-15. Child poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted.
	Analysis shows an estimated increase of around 100,000 in 2012-13; on the measure used previously (i.e. the impact of tax and benefit changes on the number of children living in households with an income less than 60% of the median).
	But this does not represent a forecast of the actual change in child poverty year on year. When, as is currently and exceptionally the case, CPI is substantially higher than average earnings growth, uprating benefits by CPI will act to reduce child poverty, all other things being equal.
	This measurement also does not take into account the value of public services which benefit children, such as education and health care. These are very important tools in improving life chances, particularly among poorer households.

Social Fund

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria are used to prioritise who will receive payments from the Social Fund; how these criteria will be affected by implementation of the Welfare Reform Bill; and if he proposes to issue guidance on the distribution of the Social Fund under the new legislative framework.

Steve Webb: The eligibility criteria for an award from each type of Social Fund Payment is set out in the Department for Work and Pensions' publication SB16—A guide to the Social Fund available on the departmental website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/sb16-a-guide-to-the-social/
	The Welfare Reform Bill introduces universal credit. With the exception of pension credit, the qualifying benefits that are part of the eligibility criteria for most Social Fund payments will eventually be replaced by universal credit. The Social Security Advisory Committee has been commissioned to carry out an independent review of passported benefits and the links with universal credit, including Regulated Social Fund. This review is still taking place and the Committee has been asked to report by the end of January 2012. The Department will publish the final report alongside its response by the end of April.
	Winter fuel payments are Regulated Social Fund payments. Eligibility is not linked to receipt of benefits as they are paid to most people over women's state pension age. There are no plans to change the current eligibility criteria for winter fuel payments.
	Clause 70 of the Welfare Reform Bill will allow budgeting loans to be awarded for funeral and maternity expenses. This change will be implemented two months after Royal Assent and the guidance will be updated accordingly.
	Only Community Care Grants have a local funding allocation and this will not be affected by the Welfare Reform Bill. Clause 69 of the Welfare Reform Bill ends discretionary Social Fund payments. Crisis loans and community care grants will come to an end in April 2013. They will be replaced by a combination of local provision and a national scheme of payments on account of benefit, neither of which will be part of the Social Fund. Budgeting Loans will be phased out as universal credit is introduced and will be replaced by budgeting advances within universal credit.
	After April 2013 the remaining Social Fund Payments have a national funding allocation and therefore guidance on distribution of funding is not necessary.

Social Security Benefits

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received more than £10,000 in benefits in each parliamentary constituency in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.
	While information on DWP administered benefits is available at constituency level we do not hold complete information on those benefits administered by other Government Departments and organisations. Restricting analysis to those benefits administered directly by DWP may present a misleading picture of benefit receipt. In addition, we estimate that developing an appropriate methodology and quality assuring any analysis of DWP administrative data would exceed disproportionate cost limits.
	The table provides estimates of the number of benefit units in receipt of benefit and tax credit income in excess of £10,000 in 2009-10 based on the latest release of the Family Resources Survey (FRS).
	The FRS is a clustered sample designed to produce robust estimates at former Government Office Region (GOR) level. Sample sizes below this level will be small, and not every area within a GOR will be covered by the FRS in any year, therefore we are not able to produce estimates at the constituency level.
	
		
			 Number of benefit units in receipt of benefit and tax credit income in excess of £10,000 per year 
			  Number 
			 North-east 300,000 
			 North-west 800,000 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 500,000 
			 East midlands 400,000 
			 West midlands 600,000 
			 East 500,000 
			 London 700,000 
			 South-east 700,000 
			 South-west 500,000 
			   
			 England 5,100,000 
			 Wales 300,000 
			 Scotland 500,000 
			 Northern Ireland 200,000 
			   
			 United Kingdom 6,100,000 
			 Notes: 1. The Family Resources Survey is a nationally representative sample of UK households. Data for 2009-10 was collected between April 2009 and March 2010. 2. The figures from the Family Resources Survey are based on a sample of households which have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors which align the Family Resources Survey to former Government Office Region population by age and sex. Estimates are subject to sampling error and remaining non-response error. 3. Results have been rounded to the nearest 100,000. 4. The Family Resources Survey is known to under-record benefit receipt and so estimates should be treated with caution. 5. A benefit unit is defined as a single adult or a married or cohabiting couple and any dependent children; from January 2006 same-sex partners (civil partners and cohabitees) are included in the same benefit unit. 6. A benefit unit has been defined as in receipt of a benefit or tax credit if at least one member of the benefit unit is in receipt of income from at least one benefit or tax credit. Source: Family Resources Survey, 2009-10

Social Security Benefits

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely change in (a) benefits expenditure and (b) number of claimants for each benefit for which his Department is responsible during the forecast period.

Chris Grayling: The latest forecasts of benefit expenditure, which are consistent with the 2011 Autumn Statement have been published at the following address:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/autumn_2011_table_1a_ and_1b.xls
	The available information has also been placed in the Library.
	Caseload information which is consistent with the Autumn Statement will be published on 21 of December at the following address:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=medium _term
	A copy will also be placed in the Library.

Social Security Benefits: Foreign Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many non-UK citizens were in receipt of each type of welfare benefit in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many non-UK citizens were registered with Jobcentre Plus in each of the last five years.

Chris Grayling: The UK's benefit payment systems do not record the nationality of claimants as nationality itself is not a condition of entitlement. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the number of non-UK nationals claiming benefit or registered with Jobcentre Plus from administrative data.
	I have commissioned work to release information regarding the nationality of benefits claimants at the point of registration for a national insurance number. I hope to make these preliminary statistics available shortly. In addition, I have asked my officials to look in to ways of capturing nationality information at source.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to tackle benefit fraud in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Fraud in the benefit system is a serious problem, which is currently costing the taxpayer £1.6 billion a year in benefit and tax credit fraud. This loss is unfair, unaffordable and unacceptable. This is why our joint DWP and HMRC fraud and error strategy published last October and measures in the Welfare Reform Bill are necessary and show that the Government are absolutely committed to reducing the level of fraud in the benefit system.
	These initiatives focus on preventing fraud and error from entering the system in the first place, detecting and correcting mistakes when they do happen, delivering tough punishments for those who defraud the system, and deterring those who would try to abuse the system in the future.

Social Security Benefits: Young People

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the off-flow rate has been of 16 to 24-year-olds from benefits into work since January 2011.

Chris Grayling: About 90% of young people who made a new claim for jobseeker’s allowance in January 2011 had left the count by October, the latest month for which data are currently available. These figures cover 18 to 24-year-olds as those aged under 18 are not routinely eligible for JSA. Individuals are not required to tell Jobcentre Plus the reason they ended their claim and a significant minority of exits are to unknown destinations. This means that, although many of those whose destination is not known are likely to have taken up work, it is not possible to calculate an off-flow rate into work.

Tax Credits: Universal Credit

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the changes to tax credits announced in the Autumn Statement on his Department's target for the number of (a) children and (b) adults to be taken out of poverty through the universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit will unify the current system of means-tested out of work benefits, tax credits and support for housing. As a result of the changes to tax credits announced in the autumn statement, it is estimated that (a) an additional 50,000 children will be lifted out of poverty through universal credit, over and above the number quoted in the Universal Credit Impact Assessment, and (b) no significant change to the number of adults lifted out of poverty.

Unemployment

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the Office for Budget Responsibility's new unemployment forecasts on the ability of Work programme providers to deliver existing contracts.

Chris Grayling: An assessment will be made following discussions about the new unemployment forecasts between DWP officials and Work programme providers.

Work Capability Assessment: Mental Illness

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to publish the reports by the Mental Health and Fluctuating Conditions groups on the work capability assessment; and when any such publication will occur.

Chris Grayling: We currently have no plans to formally publish the reports submitted by Professor Harrington to us on the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors and the fluctuating conditions descriptors.
	Professor Harrington's second independent review of the work capability assessment was published on 24 November. This contains a précis of the two reports’ recommendations as well as an update on the current position regarding their consideration.
	A copy of the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors report is available in the House Library. A copy of the fluctuating conditions descriptors report will be made available in the House Library once the Department has had a chance to consider it in detail and has provided feedback to Professor Harrington and those involved in the production of it.

Young People: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for the Youth Contract in the Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Youth Contract will provide more intensive support for all 18 to 24-year-olds including additional adviser time and weekly signing requirements. It will make available extra work experience and sector-based work academy places, including an offer of a work experience place for every unemployed 18 to 24-year-old who wants one, before they enter the Work programme. Work experience is delivered through local mechanisms based on demand and need. It forms just part of a range of flexible measures which the Jobcentre Plus district manager can put in place to address the specific needs and requirements of unemployed young people in Peterborough.
	A new wage incentive scheme, delivered through the Work Programme, will make it easier for employers to take on young people aged 18 to 24. We are talking to providers and employers about the best way of delivering this new scheme and will make further information available to employers and others over the coming weeks as the design detail progresses.
	Extra funding will also be made available for the Department for Education to support the most vulnerable NEET 16 and 17-year-olds into learning, an apprenticeship or job with training.

Young People: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of funding for the Youth Contract will be allocated to applicants living in Scotland; and what proportion of such funding he expects to be spent on (a) work placements, (b) wage subsidies and (c) incentive payments.

Chris Grayling: The Youth Contract contains a number of elements including wage subsidies, extra support delivered through Jobcentre Plus, incentive payments for employers to take on apprentices and extra support for 16 to 17-year-olds. We are working on the detailed design decisions and the final distribution of resources will depend on future volumes of 18 to 24-year-olds claiming JSA. Therefore, the breakdown of spending for Scotland is not currently available. Where extra spending is earmarked for devolved issues, the Barnett formula will determine the allocation for Scotland.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) applies a risk based approach to planning its internal audit assignments. The annual audit plan is developed through a combination of a review of the Department’s high level risk registers and discussions with senior management and the audit committee. The audit plan is flexible to address the evolution of the risk environment and the emergence of new risks.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

Andrew Mitchell: The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.
	Between 1 June and 30 November 2011 the Department for International Development received 170 written questions for a named day. The number of written questions for a named day that were not answered within five working days, according to the month that the question was tabled, is as follows:
	
		
			 Month (2011) Named day questions answered after five working days 
			 June 0 
			 July 1 
			 August 0 
			 September 0 
			 October 12 
			 November 4

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress his Department has made in meeting the commitment to draw a maximum of 10 per cent. of funding for climate change finance from existing funding from his Department.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government's four-yearly spending review set a budget of £2.9 billion for climate finance for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15, known as the International Climate Fund. UK international climate finance is Official Development Assistance (ODA) and is being met from within the rising aid budget. The share of UK ODA devoted to climate finance accounts for less than 10% in every year of this spending period.

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) meetings, (b) discussions and (c) correspondence he has had with the (i) Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, (ii) Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (iii) Prime Minister on formulating the UK's negotiating position for the Durban Climate Change Conference.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK negotiating position for the 17(th) Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban was agreed by the European Affairs Committee, in which I actively participate.
	I regularly discuss issues concerning UK policy on climate change with Cabinet colleagues, including the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Prime Minister.

Developing Countries: Population

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will consider the importance of population stabilisation for sustainable development in his preparations for the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK supports the focus of the two themes of Rio+20: (a) green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and (b) institutional frameworks for sustainable development. DEFRA is the Whitehall lead on Rio+20. DFID is working with DEFRA and other Government Departments to develop the UK position for the conference. In doing so, a range of sectoral and cross-cutting issues are being considered including the empowerment of women and girls.

Developing Countries: Water

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to attend the Sanitation and Water for All high-level meeting on 20 April 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) strongly supports the work of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership to increase accountability of both developing countries and donors for delivering results on the ground.
	It will be important to have a strong UK presence at the next meeting and I intend to be there.

Developing Countries: Water

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to monitor the use of funds provided by his Department to ensure that people have access to clean water sanitation and other similar services.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is focusing more than ever before on the results and value for money achieved through all our funding; the independent Commission on Aid Impact has been set up to monitor this. By including access to clean water and sanitation as a high-level indicator in DFID’s Business Plan, we will ensure that we monitor our progress very closely in this area, and remain accountable to the public for our results.
	For more information on how DFID monitors its progress and results, please visit the DFID website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/

Developing Countries: Water

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will attend the high- level meeting of the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership in Washington on 20 April 2012; what steps his Department is taking to improve access to sanitation and water in developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) strongly supports the work of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership to increase accountability of both developing countries and donors for delivering results on the ground.
	DFID recognise that it will be important to have a strong UK presence at the next high-level meeting in April 2012 and I intend to be there.
	The UK Government have committed to a series of challenging targets concerning water and sanitation. These include making sure 15 million more people have access to clean drinking water, 25 million more people have access to improved sanitation facilities and 15 million more people are reached by hygiene promotion.

Kenya: Asylum

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government are taking to support the Government of Kenya in ensuring that additional camp sites within Kenya are approved and equipped; and what steps the Government are taking to provide assistance to host communities around Dadaab camps.

Andrew Mitchell: I and other Ministers have regularly pressed the Kenyan Government to make sufficient camp space available for refugees in Kenya, including during my visit to Dadaab in July. The Kenyan Government have since opened news camps in Ifo and Kambioos. In July, I agreed a £6 million package to provide support to more than 130,000 refugees, including nutrition, health care, water, sanitation, tents and cooking equipment for refugees in existing and new camps. UK support focuses on refugees in the camps, where needs are greater than in the surrounding host communities. The UN and other donors are providing support to the host communities.

Kenya: Asylum

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support the Government is providing to the Government of Kenya to ensure that it (a) restarts registration of those Somalis fleeing conflict and seeking refugee status in Kenya and (b) fulfils its other obligations under international refugee law.

Andrew Mitchell: My Department does not directly fund the Kenyan Government's Department for Refugee Affairs (DRA) which is responsible for registration of refugees, but DRA does receive support through UNHCR (the UN refugee agency, which the UK does fund) and other donors. I am very concerned about the suspension of registration of new refugees. Registration is important for the protection of refugees as well as in Kenya's own security interests.
	I have regularly pressed the Kenyan Government on the rights of refugees, including after my visit to the Dadaab refugee camp in July. When I last met Minister Saitoti, Kenyan Minister for Provincial Administration and Internal Security, on 21 November, I again acknowledged Kenya's generosity in hosting refugees, but also raised the importance of not forcibly repatriating refugees. The Prime Minister has also made the same points in a letter to President Kibaki. My officials are following up with the Kenyan Government on the need to restart registration.

Overseas Aid: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has any programme to educate children on the contribution to overseas aid made by the UK.

Andrew Mitchell: In 2010 I commissioned an independent review of the Department for International Development's (DFID) work to increase public awareness of global poverty. I also closed a number of programmes designed to promote awareness of global poverty in the UK that failed to demonstrate real development impact and value for money. Following the review, I decided that DFID would not fund any new development awareness projects and that funds would be redirected to front line programmes in developing countries.
	The coalition Government believe that every child should learn about the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment which face children their own age in other countries, and about the potential of trade, wealth creation and economic development to build a freer, more prosperous world. DFID's work over the last decade to integrate development issues into the school curriculum has been successful in achieving this. DFID will continue to fund development education work in schools, and this work is now being put on a strategic footing.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Females

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of (a) hon. Members and (b) advisers included on the Government’s delegation to the Bonn conference will be women.

Alistair Burt: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of 28 November 2011, Official Report, columns 674-75W.

Bangladesh: Asylum

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the treatment of Rohingyan refugees in Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK has raised concerns on this matter with the Government of Bangladesh bilaterally and with EU partners. The Secretary of State for International Development raised concerns about the treatment of ethnic minorities with the President of Burma and senior officials during his visit to the country on 15-17 November.
	Officials from our high commission in Dhaka have visited the camps for displaced Rohingyas. The Department for International Development provides core contributions to the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department and UN agencies that directly support the Rohingya community.

Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on UK accession to the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: The British Government have adopted the Annex of the Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage as best practice for marine archaeology but we do not believe that the case for ratification of the convention by the UK has been made. This position will continue to be kept under review.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has published a Sustainable Procurement Strategy:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/procurement/Sus_Proc_Strategy
	which details how procurement will deliver value for money in its contracting for goods and services while also delivering benefit in sustainable terms, in the categories of environmental, economic and social and across supply chains. The FCO has published an SME Action Plan:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/working-for-us/contracts-procurement/sme
	which will support SMEs by implementing promotion of procurement opportunities and removing any barriers to the use of SMEs in the UK.
	(b) FCO Services, a trading fund of the FCO, addresses social value in procurement through sustainability. This is illustrated in the procurement of zero emission electric vehicles and fuel efficient HGV trailer units for the European Lorry Fleet. FCO Services also works with its logistics supplier to monitor and manage carbon emissions. More broadly in respect of procurement of materials and services it applies standard pan government contract terms, which reflect sustainability and equal opportunities/anti-discrimination requirements.
	Wilton Park uses the FCO Sustainable Procurement Strategy mentioned above and is also currently developing a strategy to offer contracts to SME's which will be based on the FCO's.

Departmental Secondment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what secondments there have been to his Department from (a) industry and (b) the third sector since May 2010; what the (i) purpose and (ii) duration is of each secondment; and whether each secondment was to a policy development role.

Henry Bellingham: A small number of staff have been seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from both industry and the third sector since May 2010. The majority of these loans have been ad hoc short term arrangements and we do not hold a central record of these informal secondments. A further seven staff from industry and the third sector have undertaken formal, longer term inward secondments to the FCO. We are however unable to provide more detail as this could identify individual staff, and potentially breach data protection principles.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office received 2,877 questions for ordinary written answer in this Session, tabled up to 31 October 2011. A total of 2,724 (94.7%) of these questions were answered within 10 sitting days; 126 (4.4%) within 11 to 20 sitting days; 23 (0.8%) within 21 to 30 sitting days; and 4 (0.1%) in more than 30 sitting days.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide this information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Egypt: Exports

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on any cases of internal repression in Egypt; if he will impose an embargo on the export of all equipment subject to the UK export licence regime to Egypt; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has made clear UK concerns about incidents of unrest and violence in Egypt in recent months. In his statement of 23 November he said that he was deeply concerned by the unacceptable violence that had taken place around Tahrir Square and other parts of Egypt, and called on the Egyptian authorities to respect the right of peaceful protest and immediately to cease the use of violence against protestors.
	We are aware of reports that UK manufactured tear gas has been used in Egypt. No licences for the export of tear gas to Egypt have been granted since 1999. Since that time UK export controls have been radically overhauled including through the passing of the Export Control Act 2002 and the adoption of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Under the consolidated criteria we will not issue licences for goods which will be used for internal repression or for aggravating existing tensions or conflicts. Export licence applications for Egypt, as for all countries, are kept under constant review and every licence is scrutinised in light of changing facts on the ground. We have no plans to impose an embargo on Egypt for all equipment subject to UK export controls.

Falkland Islands: Sovereignty

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Government of Argentina in response to its (a) recent reassertion of that country's claim to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and (b) interference with fishing vessels in the seas surrounding the Falkland Islands.

Jeremy Browne: The UK Government have no doubt about their sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. There can be no negotiations on sovereignty unless or until the Falkland Islanders so wish. The fundamental principle and right of self determination, as set out in the United Nations Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, underlies this position. We have made this position clear both directly to the Argentine Government and at international forums.
	The UK Government have repeatedly protested against Argentine Presidential Decree 256, which has purportedly been the basis for recent interference with fishing vessels in the vicinity of the River Plate basin. We have repeated this protest on several occasions bilaterally, publicly and in letters circulated at the United Nations General Assembly. We do not consider the decree to be compliant with international law, including the right of innocent passage through territorial seas under the United Nations convention on the law of the sea. There has been no interference with fishing vessels in Falkland Islands waters.

Fiji: Christianity

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of closures of Methodist churches in Fiji; and if he will raise the issue of religious freedom and freedom of speech with the Government of Fiji.

Jeremy Browne: The British Government are deeply concerned by reports of restrictions on the rights of freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and freedom of association being placed upon members of the Methodist Church in Fiji. The right to assemble peacefully is at the heart of a functioning democracy and helps to improve long-term social, political and economic stability.
	On 12 October, I expressed my dismay to the Fijian high commissioner to London at these developments and noted that this latest action by the authorities in Fiji could only serve to increase their isolation from the international community. The UK Government will continue to raise our concerns with the interim government, including the need to lift the public emergency restrictions in early 2012. We will continue to work closely with international partners to return Fiji to democracy.

Iran: Weapons

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on shipments of arms and missiles by Iran to militant groups in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.

Alistair Burt: We remain deeply concerned by Iran's support for militant groups in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip, including Hezbollah and Hamas. We have consistently stressed the negative impact this has on stability in the middle east and condemn it in all its forms.
	We assess that since the 2006 conflict with Israel, Hezbollah has been rearmed to the extent that its capabilities exceed those in 2006. We assess that Iran is the most significant provider of weapons, training and funding to Hezbollah.
	We judge that Hamas has rebuilt at least some of the capabilities it lost in the 2008-09 Gaza conflict. Since then, Hamas may have acquired from Iran both a number of longer range rockets with the potential to reach Tel Aviv and some advanced anti-tank guided weapons. We assess that Iran is a significant provider of weapons and funds to the group.
	Iran also provides arms and funding to other rejectionist groups in the region, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
	We continue to monitor Iranian support to these groups closely. We will continue to push for full implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions, which call for the disarmament of these armed groups and prohibit weapons transfers, and support the UN sanctions committees pursuing and investigating sanctions violations.

Occupied Territories: Housing

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Israeli Government about the expansion of Israeli settlements.

Alistair Burt: We regularly make clear that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories are wrong, illegal under international law and deeply counter-productive to efforts to bring a lasting peace to the middle east conflict.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs I and our ambassador in Tel Aviv have all raised the issue of settlements with the Israeli authorities. The Foreign Secretary most recently condemned settlement activity publicly in his statements of 2, 9 and 28 November.

Oil: Canada

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Canadian counterpart on the environmental consequences of developing the Alberta tar sands.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not discussed the development of the Alberta oil sands with his Canadian counterpart.
	We regularly raise our concerns over the environmental impact of oil sands extraction with the Canadian authorities, most recently in discussion between the Minister of State, my noble Friend Lord Howell of Guildford, and the Canadian high commissioner on 20 September.
	The Prime Minister discussed the European fuel quality directive in relation to Canadian oil sands with the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, during his visit to Ottawa in September.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) his international counterparts and (b) representatives of international organisations about the situation in Gaza.

Alistair Burt: We are currently working closely with the Quartet, the UN and EU partners to raise more strongly the situation of Gaza with the Israeli authorities. We continue to call on Israel to ease restrictions on access including access to humanitarian and medical supplies.
	Our ambassador in Tel Aviv raises these concerns regularly with Israeli authorities. It was also formally raised by the UK at the annual Ad Hoc Liaison Committee meeting of donors in New York on 18 September both in the plenary session and in bilateral meetings with the Israeli delegation in the margins of the main event.
	As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs reiterated to the House on 28 November 2011, Official Report, column 691:
	“We look to Israel to permit the further opening of Gaza so that all Palestinian people can see a pathway to a better future, living side by side with a secure Israel. It is vital that Israel takes that action.”

Palestinians: Prisoners

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with (a) his international counterparts and (b) representatives of international organisations about the treatment of Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli authorities.

Alistair Burt: We regularly discuss the issue of treatment of Palestinian prisoners by the Israeli authorities with our international partners, including our EU counterparts. We also regularly meet international organisations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.
	I discussed this matter during my visit in June with the Minister of Justice, indicating the UK's concerns about both the detention and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, including children. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv raised the issue on 26 October 2011 during his visit to the Israel Prison Service complex, at the invitation of the Public Security Minister. He raised concerns over visitation rights and the treatment of minors, particularly cuffing and shackling. In his discussions with the Public Security Minister, the ambassador stressed the importance the UK placed on Israel fulfilling its obligations under international law. On 28 November 2011, I stated to the House that the UK Government view the shackling of children in detention as wrong.
	The Government of Israel have reaffirmed to us their commitment to treating prisoners in line with international human rights standards. The UK will continue to monitor the situation with regard to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and encourage the Government of Israel to meet their stated commitments.

Sarath Fonseka

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Sri Lanka on the treatment of Sarath Fonseka.

Alistair Burt: On 18 November 2011, Sarath Fonseka, former head of the Sri Lankan army and rival of President Rajapaksa, was found guilty of spreading rumours likely to cause public alarm and disorder. The High Court sentenced Fonseka to three years in prison, which he will serve in addition to the 30-month sentence handed down in September last year after he was found guilty of misconduct by a military tribunal.
	We have consistently urged the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure its judicial process meets international standards.

Shaker Aamer

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer of 25 October 2011, Official Report, column 172, on Shaker Aamer, when his case was last raised at ministerial level; and what progress has been made on returning Shaker Aamer to the UK.

Alistair Burt: Shaker Aamer's case was raised formally most recently at ministerial level by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during President Obama's state visit to the UK in May this year. The Government remain committed to securing Mr Aamer's release and return to the UK and, as previously stated, we will continue to raise his case with the United States Government at both official and ministerial levels. His release remains a decision for the United States Government to make, but our own determination and our efforts to return Mr Aamer to the United Kingdom will certainly continue.

Somalia: International Assistance

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to encourage parties in Somalia, including the Kenyan armed forces, to facilitate humanitarian access in South Somalia.

Andrew Mitchell: I have been asked to reply.
	I have regularly highlighted the importance of unhindered humanitarian access and actively pressed donors to step up their funding support to humanitarian organisations to meet priority needs wherever they are.
	The Prime Minister has also written to President Kibaki on 10 November stating that the Kenyan incursion into Somalia must comply with international law and should not impede humanitarian operations. Officials have followed up directly with the Kenyan security forces. UK officials have also raised concerns over humanitarian access in Mogadishu with the Somali Government and African Union Mission in Somalia. The ability of the UK to influence other non-state actors inside Somalia is more limited, but we continue to explore ways of indirectly doing so.

South Africa: Freedom of Information

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the effect on the freedom of the media in the Republic of South Africa of the Protection of State Information Bill.

Henry Bellingham: Britain is aware of strong concerns that have been raised by media and other rights groups that the Protection of State Information Bill could limit media freedom in South Africa. Our diplomatic missions in Pretoria and Cape Town will continue to monitor the Bill closely through the remaining stages of the parliamentary process.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the progress of reconciliation in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: On 20 November, the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission sent their report to the Sri Lankan President. Many hope this report will mark a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s recovery from conflict. I have called on the Government of Sri Lanka to seize this opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to national reconciliation and accountability. I look forward to the Government of Sri Lanka setting out the steps they will take in response to the report.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the progress of transitional justice in Sri Lanka since 2009.

Alistair Burt: The UK has consistently called for an independent, thorough and credible investigation into allegations of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by both sides in the military conflict.
	The Sri Lankan Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) presented their report to the Sri Lankan President on 20 November. We look forward to the Sri Lankan Government publishing the report in full and setting out the steps they will take in response.
	We believe that an inclusive political solution that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict is the best way to achieve lasting and equitable peace in Sri Lanka.

Sudan: Human Rights

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will review his Department's promotion of trade with Sudan in the light of human rights abuses in that country.

Henry Bellingham: There are no international restrictions on trade with Sudan, other than an arms embargo imposed by the UN. At present we do not actively promote trade with Sudan, although assistance is provided by UK Trade & Investment in response to requests from British companies. We have made very clear to the Government of Sudan that the current conflicts and human rights abuses are an obstacle to any increase in our trade relationship, and it is their responsibility to resolve those conflicts peacefully.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Biometrics: Entry Clearances

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when (a) she and (b) the Immigration Minister were first informed that their pilot programme was being used to stop biometric checks.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 7 November 2011, Official Report, columns 44-61.

Dangerous Dogs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dogs in England and Wales were placed on the register of exempt dogs under section 4(a) and (b) procedures under the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997 in 2010.

James Paice: I have been asked to reply.
	So far this year, we have placed 421 dogs on the Index of Exempted Dogs through either the 4A or 4B procedures. 42 of these were under the 4A procedure and 290 under the 4B procedure. In 89 cases it has not been possible to identify under which procedure the dogs have been placed on the index because this has not been stated on the contingent destruction order issued by the court.

Dangerous Dogs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been prosecuted under section (a) 1(3), (b) 3(1) and (c) 3(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each year since 2007.

James Paice: I have been asked to reply.
	I will arrange for a table showing the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, sections 1(3), 3(1) and 3(3), in England and Wales, from 2007 to 2010 (latest available) to be placed in the Library of the House.
	Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring of 2012.

Departmental Manpower

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Force staff were working on (a) customs and (b) immigration checks at Heathrow in each week between 1 July and 1 November 2011.

Damian Green: The total number of Border Force officers working at Heathrow from 1 July to 1 November 2011 is set out as follows. This table shows the number of officers deployed on front line checks at Heathrow throughout the period.
	
		
			  Number 
			 July 957 
			 August 953 
			 September 952 
			 October 944

Deportation: Offenders

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her policy to remove foreign national prisoners on completion of their sentence was introduced.

Damian Green: Government policy is to deport foreign nationals where their presence in the United Kingdom is not conducive to the public good. The power to deport a person on the grounds that their presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good is provided by S3(5) of the Immigration Act 1971. S3(6)of the Immigration Act 1971 gave the courts the power to recommend the deportation of foreign national prisoners. These powers came into force on 1 January 1973.
	The policy to remove foreign nationals who are liable to deportation dates from then. Although it has not been explicitly stated that we remove foreign national prisoners on completion of their sentence, as a matter of practice we aim to remove foreign national offenders at the earliest opportunity. Under the terms of the Early Removal Scheme, which was introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, foreign national prisoners serving fixed term sentences can be removed from prison and the country up to a maximum of 270 days before the half-way point of sentence. In 2010-11 43% of removals of foreign national offenders (FNOs) who met the deportation criteria took place during the early removal period.
	More generally we are improving performance by starting earlier, maximising Facilitated Returns Scheme, working with foreign governments, improving compliance and embedding staff in prisons ensuring that contact is made with FNOs where staff are embedded, within five days of their arrival.

Fraud: Shares

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that the Serious Fraud Office pursues investigations into boiler room fraud.

Edward Garnier: I have been asked to reply.
	The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is headed by the Director who acts under the superintendence of the Attorney-General. The SFO investigates and prosecutes the most serious and complex economic crime.
	Where an alleged boiler room fraud that comes to the attention of the SFO meets the published selection criteria the SFO will consider the allegations. The selection criteria can be found on the SFO website at:
	http://www.sfo.gov.uk/victims/individual-victims/can-i-report-a-fraud-or-corruption-directly-to-the-sfo.aspx
	If an alleged boiler room fraud does not meet the SFO criteria it will be referred to another law enforcement organisation or regulator for investigation when appropriate.
	Since October 2011 the SFO has successfully prosecuted 10 individuals involved in boiler room fraud.

Immigration

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish (a) the operational advice note and (b) details of the ministerial decision implementing the trial of risk-based processes at the border.

Damian Green: We are conducting an investigation into all the relaxation of border controls. It would be inappropriate to publish this information or comment further at this stage.

Immigration

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) EU nationals and (b) non-EU nationals passed through border controls in the UK between 28 July and 4 November 2011.

Damian Green: Passenger arrivals figures for the third quarter of 2011 (July to September) are not yet available. The latest published data for the first quarter of 2011 along with figures for 2010 showing recent levels of EEA and non-EEA nationals arriving in the United Kingdom are given in the table. These figures are numbers of journeys and include passengers in transit who do not pass through immigration controls.
	
		
			 Passenger arrivals to the United Kingdom including EEA and Swiss nationals, January 2010 to March 2011 
			 Passengers admitted Q1 2010 Q2 2010 Q3 2010 Q4 2010 Q1 2011 
			 Total (million) 19.7 26.2 33.3 22.3 20.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Non-EEA nationals 2.4 3.3 4.0 2.7 2.4 
			 British citizens 11.2 15.9 21.0 12.8 11.2 
			 Other EEA and Swiss nationals 6.0 7.1 8.3 6.7 6.5 
			 Notes: 1. Provisional figures. 2. Includes airside transfer/transit passengers of all nationalities who did not pass through immigration control. Source: Home Office, Migration Statistics. Published in table ad.01.q of ‘Immigration Statistics April to June 2011’. 
		
	
	Information relating to the second quarter (April to June) of 2011 will be published on 24 November 2011 in the Home Office Science publication, ‘Immigration Statistics July to September 2011’ and the third quarter will be published on 23 February 2012. These data will be available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/